Chain Lightning
by Jack Cross
Summary: Alex Chambers had a normal life. Senior year in high school, and a promising future at college. But all of that changed when a lab accident occurs on a class trip. Now, trapped in a strange new world and developing frightening new abilities, he'll have to face not only a Revolution, but a hot headed Avatar, others with powers like him, and a future far more uncertain then ever.
1. Chapter 1

**Greetings, and welcome to my new story. Now I know that fans of Edge of a Revolution and other stories are probably NOT looking forward to me uploading a new story, but I had this idea and I simply had to get it out. Bear with me on this, I'm not giving up on the other stories, I'm just adding to the workload.**

 **Now before I go any further, I want to point out a few things. First and foremost, this is NOT a crossover between inFamous and Legend of Korra. There are a few things that were inspired by the games, yes, but this is a stand alone story with an OC at it's heart. Secondly, I cannot and will not take full credit for coming up with this alone. I came up with the basic idea, but the juicy core belongs to my friend Avatar Conner. And so, with that off my chest, let's get started.**

 **I do not, in any way, shape, or form own Legend of Korra.**

The long, drawn out electric hum of an alarm clock filled the dark bedroom. It droned on for a moment, temporarily blocking out the background noise of a fan before a fist slammed into the top of the clock. Rather then shut off, the clock began to blare the heavy guitar cords of a rock radio station. A groan came from under the blanket on the bed before the owner of fist hit the top of the clock again. This time, the clock fell silent.

Sitting up from under the pile of blankets, the owner of the fist rubbed the sleep from his eyes and looked about the room. He was young, in his late teens with dirty blonde hair and gray eyes. His body was slender, not so much from being athletic, but from having the perks of a high metabolism.

"It's too early for this," he yawned before he swung his legs over the side of the bed. Rubbing his hand over his face in an effort to wake himself up more, he stole a glance at the angry red numbers on the clock. Instantly, his eyes went wide in surprise before he sprung to his feet.

"Shit, I'm running late!" he exclaimed as he raced to pull on a pair of faded blue jeans and a black t-shirt. Stuffing his iPhone into his pocket, he grabbed up a pair of old black combat boots and hurried out the bedroom door. As he began to race down the stairs, he hopped on one foot as he tried to pull his boots on.

A combination of gravity and clumsiness won out however, and suddenly he wasn't hopping but falling.

"Oh crap!" he shouted, flailing his arms outward before he tumbled down the stairs.

"Alex, are you okay?" came the concerned voice of his mother from the kitchen. Alex sat up at the base of the stairs, groaning and shaking his head.

"I'm alright, mom," he replied before he set to finish pulling on his boots. Pulling himself to his feet, he gingerly patted himself over for bruises and other injuries before he hurried into the kitchen. Grabbing a package of chocolate chip pop tarts, Alex picked up the messenger bag draped across the back of a chair at the table before he kissed his mother once on the cheek.

"In a hurry?"

"Running late!" he called over his shoulder, grabbing a black hoodie as he ran past and allowing the door to slam closed behind him. Alex jumped from the front porch of the house, clearing the stairs as he scrambled for the old, rusted pickup truck that sat in the driveway. He climbed inside the cab, throwing his hoodie and bag into the passenger seat before plunging his key into the ignition and giving it a turn.

The truck didn't give so much as a sputter.

"No, no, no, not this morning. Come on!" he said as he franticly turned the key again and pumped his foot into the gas pedal. Again, the truck gave no signs of coming to life.

"Fuck!" he shouted in frustration, throwing the keys onto the dash before grabbing his stuff from the seat and throwing open the truck door. Alex quickly pulled the hoodie on before he slung his bag. It looked like he was running to school this morning.

* * *

"Daniel Carlton?"

"Present!"

"Michael Carson?"

"Here."

"Alex Chambers?"

Silence. The middle aged woman looked up from the clipboard she was reading off of and gazed over the inside of the school bus. None of the students looked up from their conversations or other forms of entertainment.

"Is Alex Chambers here?" she asked again.

"Here he comes!" shouted a girl from the back of the bus. The teacher leaned over one of the seats and looked out the bus window. Sure enough, she could see Alex running full bore toward the bus across the school parking lot.

"Ah, Mr. Chambers. How nice of you to join us," the teacher said pointedly when Alex reached the bus door.

"Sorry, Ms. Moriarty," he panted, trying to catch his breath for a moment before he climbed aboard. As the teacher continued on with her roll call, Alex made his way toward the back of the bus and sat down next to a brown haired girl with glasses and a beanie hat.

"Seriously? You're late on the day of the Senior Trip?" the girl whispered out of the corner of her mouth.

"My alarm went off late and my truck wouldn't start. It's not my fault the universe decided that I needed to have a rough day, Kelly," Alex shot back as he opened his bag and stuck the package of pop tarts inside.

"And staying up till three in the morning playing Xbox has nothing do with it, right Alex?" Alex shot a glare at his friend before he pulled a book out of his pack. Running late had left him in a bad mood, and falling down the stairs certainly hadn't helped matters.

"Like you have room to talk," he muttered. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kelly smirk to herself. The two of them had been friends since kindergarten, and knew each other like the back of their own hands. Gaming sessions that lasted until the wee hours of the morning were nothing new to either of them.

The bus gave a shuttering jolt as the driver put it into gear and they began to roll forward. As he flipped through the pages of his book, Alex silently hoped that despite how bad his day had started, things would be looking up from now on. They were going to tour the local applied science labs, something he had been wanting to do his whole life.

Science absolutely fascinated Alex. For as long as he could remember, he had this underlying urge to figure out how everything he saw worked. From small mechanical things like locks and clocks, to massive bodies like planets and stars. There was almost nothing that hadn't peaked his interest at one point or another.

The Wolf Creek Labs building resembled a low office building. Dull and gray, with windows dominating the majority of the front. Alex stuffed his book back into his pack as the bus came to a halt in the parking lot. The students filed off of the bus, many of them having a board look on their faces. Unlike Alex, who had been looking forward to this trip, many of the students were along simply because they wanted an opportunity to get out of class for the day.

"Now remember to keep your hands to yourselves, a majority of the equipment in this building is worth more then what any of you could make flipping burgers over a dozen lifetimes!" Ms. Moriarty called before the body of students as a whole began to shuffle toward the building.

"Moriarty doesn't seem to have a very high opinion of us," Kelly mused. Alex cocked his eyebrow sideways at her.

"You're just now figuring this out? What gave it away? The fact that in her opinion every single one of us is doomed to be a fry cook for the rest of our lives?" Kelly simply rolled her eyes at her friend's sarcasm.

Inside the facility, the body of students split off into groups of two or three and began to wander at their own leisure. Many of the research stations had a scientist standing nearby to answer any questions someone may have had. Others were locked down tight so that no one could tamper with them.

Alex walked through the place with his eyes wide, like a child that had been left alone in a candy store. Research into alternative fuels, cold fusion, lasers, and other things all dotted the building. But there was one station in particular that caught his attention over all the others.

It was located in a lab a little deeper in the building then the others. Four Tesla coils surrounded a central platform at the heart of the room. A farady cage rested in the corner to protect observers from possible electrocution. A single male scientist was scribbling in his notes inside the cage. Alex couldn't keep the small grin from his face as he looked around the room. Things involving electricity had always held a special place in his heart.

"Excuse me?" he asked with caution, not wanting to interrupt the man's work on accident. The scientist looked up from his notes, apparently startled that someone had entered the room.

"Oh, hello. You two are with the Senior Tour right?" he asked.

"That's right."

"Ah good, my name is Doctor Tannan. What can I help you with today?" he asked as he set his pencil down and stepped out of the cage.

"My name is Alex, and this is Kelly. I was just wondering what is your working on, Doctor Tannan?" Alex asked, motioning toward the coils. The scientist's face brightened considerably, and Alex got the feeling that not many people had really taken in interest in his experiment before.

"Free electricity, Alex. My experiment is based upon Nikolai Tesla wireless electricity designs. If the experiments become a success, there won't be a need for power lines or the power company anymore. Everyone will have free, wireless electricity," he explained.

"Does it work?" Kelly asked, curious. Tannan frowned at that.

"Unfortunately, the results haven't been what I've been hoping for. I was able to electrify the field between the coils long enough to start charging a smart phone. But then the energy spiked...and the phone's battery exploded," he said as he rubbed a hand on the back of his head, slightly embarrassed.

"So, it's a power fluctuation problem?" Alex asked as he cupped his chin in thought and looked closer at one of the coils.

"Not exactly. The smart phones are the best way that I've found to measure the field's power. Unfortunately, the strength of a phone's battery varies between models."

"So, every time you fire this thing up you're just guessing how long it will take before the phone explodes?" Kelly asked with a hint of disbelief. Tannan gave a sheepish grin.

"Pretty much, yeah."

"What if you tried using it to power something besides a cell phone? No offense, doc, but you need a stable source of data in order to conduct experiments properly," Alex said. Now it was Tannan's turn to cup his chin in thought. The look in the scientist's eyes told Alex that he had just given the man an idea.

"Well, a college of mine has been working on an experimental battery, but with my experiments here the building has been unable to lend him the amount of power he needs to properly test it. If you'll excuse me for one moment," he said before he hurried out of the lab. Kelly waited a full three heartbeats before she spoke.

"He is aware that wireless chargers are a thing right?" Alex simply shrugged.

"Let the man experiment. If he succeeds, imagine the potential, you could go your whole life without ever having to charge an electric device again," he said.

"I'll keep my charger and NOT run the risk of getting a face full of flaming Apple product shrapnel, thank you very much." At that moment, the lab door burst open and Tannan hurried inside. In his arms was a large rectangular shaped metal box. Several lights, gauges, and screens dotted the box's surface, and the doctor appeared to be struggling under it's weight.

The two teens watched as he sat the box in the center of the coils and began to attach sensors and other wires to it. Something about the way Tannan moved unnerved Alex. To him, the man resembled a child assembling a new toy at Christmas. Or a pyromaniac unwrapping a box of fire works on the Forth of July.

"Please, step inside the cage. The lab is unsafe once the coils are on," Tannan said as he finished attaching the last of the equipment to the box. Both Alex and Kelly looked at each other in surprise and confusion.

"You're not seriously going to conduct an experiment right now?!" Kelly said.

"There is no time like the present. And besides, what a wonderful opportunity for two bright young minds to witness an experiment first hand." Kelly shot a pleading look to Alex, but he simply motioned for her to step into the metal box. He got the impression that Tannan wasn't the type of man to take no for an answer, and personally he would rather watch the experiment from the safety of the cage. The wrath of one Tesla coil was something that sent shivers down his spine, and he shuttered to think of what four of them could do.

The three of them quickly stepped into the faraday cage, and Tannan began to type on a laptop set up on the inside. They watched, as one by one the coils came to life, sparking and sending arcs of electricity into the air. Both Alex and Kelly stood in awe as the scientist type a series of codes into the computer. Suddenly, the arcs of lightning were not shooting off at random, but rather focusing into metal box.

The gauges and lights came to life as power surged through the device. Judging by the smile on Tannan's face, Alex guessed that the experiment was working. He looked past him to Kelly and gave her a smile, which she returned. Neither one of them had expected their day to turn out like this.

Suddenly, the sound of electrical crackling filled the air, drowning out the constant drone of the coils. What had once been four steady streams of electricity arcing into the box was now replaced by a fountain of unpredictable lightning flying all about. Red lights flashed on the computer screen, blaring various warnings as Tannan's face turned from prideful to panic filled.

"What's going on?" Alex asked.

"The battery isn't storing power anymore!"

"Then what's it doing?"

"It's creating it!"

"It's what?!"

"I don't know how but it's generating too much power for the field to handle," Tannan said as he rapidly typed several codes into the computer.

"So shut the coils off!"

"I just did!" All three of them watched as the box continued to spew out lightning, sending arcs into everything in sight. Then, the box exploded, and Alex saw nothing but white.

* * *

All of his senses were screwed up. His vision contained nothing but blinding white light, his ears were filled with a deafening roar, and his smell, what little was left of it, was blinded by ozone. He didn't know up from down, left from right, or even if he was still on his feet or not. Never before in his life had Alex been so disoriented.

Finally his vision and hearing began to clear. It slowly dawned on him that he was on his hands and knees. Blood was dripping onto the concrete between his hands. Bringing his hand upward, Alex realized that he was bleeding from his nose and his ears. That couldn't be a good sign.

"Kelly?" he asked. His tongue felt heavy in his mouth, so the word came out slurred. He looked around for his friend, and found that things were not how they had been before the box had exploded. The cage, the coils, the lab, all of it was gone. Instead, he was in what appeared to be a seedy back ally. Neither Kelly nor Tannan were anywhere in sight.

Bracing a hand against the brick wall, Alex slowly pulled himself to his feet. He was incredibly dizzy, and his head pounded with pain like he had just taken a sledgehammer to the forehead. As he began to stumble forward, several questions and observations flooded his mind. The first one was obvious; where in the hell was he?

Somehow he had been transported from the lab to this alleyway, and he had no idea how it had happened. And it had been mid to late morning when the battery had exploded, so why was it nighttime now? Was it possible that he had been knocked out that long?

"Kelly?" he asked again, a little louder and clearer this time. The crash of a trash can falling over caused Alex to jump and spin around in surprise. Sitting on top of said can was a creature that he had never seen before. It was dark colored, with the head, beak and wings of a crow and the body of a lizard.

The two stared at each other in silence, small black eyes boring into gray ones. The lizard crow cocked it's head sideways, and Alex did the same. His mouth hung open slightly as he stared at the hybrid beast before him. This couldn't be real, he had to be hallucinating from the effects of the explosion.

The lizard crow let out a screech before it sprung into the air. It's talons were outstretched as it headed straight for Alex's face. Alex yelped as he stumbled backwards in surprise, throwing up his hands to protect his face. As he tripped over another trash can, he felt a tingling sensation in his hands. His eyes caught a brief flash of light as he toppled to the ground.

Alex waited a full heartbeat for the creature to be on top of him. But as the seconds ticked by, the only thing that reached him was the smell of burnt flesh. Narrowing his eyes in confusion, he slowly sat up. The lizard crow was lying a short distance away from his left foot. It's feathers and many parts of its body were burnt, and a faint trail of smoke leaked into the air.

Fear gripped the teen as he quickly scrambled backwards away from the dead creature. He had no idea what had just happened, and he wasn't about to stick around and find out. Managing to get to his feet, Alex began to run, or to be more accurate, stumble along at a fast pace.

Coming out of the ally onto a main street, Alex stopped, leaned against the wall and looked around. A trolly rolled by on a set of tracks imbedded in the street, the driver ringing a bell as it past. A few cars sat parked along the curb, all of them looking like something out of a film set in the 1920s. Signs that lined the front of the buildings were written in Chinese.

' _Okay. So I'm either in Chinatown, or Hong Kong.'_ Digging his phone out of his pocket, Alex frowned when he saw that he had no service. His frown deepened as he watched the battery percentage began to steadily decline. Sliding the device back into his pocket, he returned his gaze to the street. To his relief, he spotted a payphone on the other side of the street.

Pushing off of the wall, Alex stumbled out into the street. His center of balance wasn't coming back fast enough, and he managed to catch himself on a parked car before he fell. Shaking his head in an effort to clear some of the dizziness, he pushed off of the car and started forward again.

"Look out!" came a shout and the sequel of tires. Alex lost his balance and threw himself forward, just barely dodging the moped the skidded to a halt in the spot he had just been a millisecond earlier.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't see you! Are you okay, did I hit you?" the driver of the moped asked. It was a woman, based on the shape of her body and the lightness of her voice. She was wearing a helmet, so Alex couldn't see her face. Alex pushed himself to his feet and wobbled badly. The effort of dodging the moped had taken a lot out of him.

"Actually don't feel so good," he said before he collapsed. The woman just barely managed to catch him before he cracked his head on the pavement. Turning him over so that he was lying on his back, she quickly took off her helmet. She was young, and beautiful with raven colored hair, bright green eyes, and her face was a fine shade of pale.

"Hey, stay with me. What's your name? Can you tell me your name?" she asked.

"Alex," he managed. He was losing his grip on conciseness fast.

"Alex? My name is Asami. Can you tell me what's wrong? Do you need a hospital?" Alex didn't answer, as he had already passed out in her arms.

 **And Boom, first chapter done. Please, feel free to drop a review or a PM and let me know what you think of this crazy little idea of ours so far.**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Three Months Later.**_

 _It's hard to believe that all this time has passed since that day. When I came to, I was on a couch in some rich person's sitting room. It turns out that it belonged to that girl that almost ran me over. Her name is Asami, Asami Sato. She took me back to her house after I passed out, figuring that I didn't look like I was in bad enough shape to warrant a trip to the hospital._

 _Considering that I had no idea where I was, and that the last thing that had happened to me had been a lab accident, I played the old memory loss card. I told Asami only my name and a few vague details about what had happened before she had nearly run me over. My hope had been that I was in New York or San Francisco, someplace that was only a plane ride away from home._

 _I couldn't have been more wrong if I had tried._

 _It turns out I was in some place called Republic City. When I asked Asami for a map, so that I could see if any locations sounded familiar, I discovered that I wasn't even on Earth anymore. At least, not the Earth I had known. But what I did know was this: wherever that damn contraption of Tannan's had sent me, I was too far from home to try and go back. Luckily for me, Asami was generous enough to offer me a place to stay, with her father's permission of course._

 _Sticking to my story of memory loss, I spent the next few weeks learning all I could about this new world. They're way behind us in terms of technology, only sitting at about the 1920s or so. On top of that, it turns out that this place has a group of people called benders, people who can control the classical elements. I didn't really believe Asami's description that people could do that, until she dragged me out into the_ city _and I witnessed the strange abilities myself._

 _But other people's abilities wasn't the only thing I found strange._

 _It started off small, a few static shocks here, the flicker of a light bulb there, even my cell phone's battery kept fluctuating. I passed it off as the changing of the seasons, summer turning into fall and static electricity being built up as a result. It wasn't until about two weeks after the accident that things really started to take a turn for the weird._

 _At first, it was the increase in shocks when I was around power outlets and touching metal. Then the radio would spew out static whenever I tried to touch a dial. It wasn't until light bulbs started to explode that I acknowledged that whatever was happening wasn't natural. Then, two weeks to the day after the accident, it finally happened; I shot lightning from my fingertips._

 _Both Asami and I were in her garage, working on a car when it happened. I made the mistake of touching a wire to the car's battery and gave myself quite the shock. But rather then be injured, I felt invigorated, like I just had just down several energy drinks. As I turned to grab a nearby wrench, the bolt shot from my fingertips, sending said wrench flying across the room._

 _Needless to say, it scared the ever living crap out of both of us. But my two weeks of weirdness finally made sense. I could, somehow, control electricity. Asami, being a good friend and downright genius, instantly volunteered to help me figure the whole thing out. We ran all kinds of tests and experiments and research, trying to figure out the bounds of this thing. To my disappointment we found that I was not a bender. Lightningbenders, firebenders who can generate and redirect lightning, simply didn't have the control I had. When we first started, I could barely even power a light bulb. Since then, though, I've grown more powerful, and I've learned basic control over it._

 _Learning how to control my new abilities wasn't the only thing I've spent these past three months doing. Being cooped up in the Sato Mansion with electrical powers wasn't the best idea, what with me tending to get stir crazy from being cooped up so long. So I went out into the city and found a job with a small courier company._

 _Working with the company gave me some insight into the city layout. It also gave me eyes and ears all over the place to find Kelly, as well as a means of staying in shape. Of course, it also came with it's own unique set of problems. My friend in the company, Han, taught me most of the new skills I picked up. But, despite having a good head on his shoulders, he has a tendency to get us into sticky situations sometimes..._

"I thought you said you had a way out of this, or is that another thing you made up on the fly?!" Alex shouted as he barreled down the alleyway. He easily cleared a pair of trash cans with a leap, vaulting himself over the metal containers with his hands. Beside him, his friend Han sprinted as well.

"I said I do have a way out, I just can't remember if its on Roku or Suki street!" he shouted back. The pair bounded off of a stack of wooden pallets and cleared the chain link fence that was blocking their path.

"There's almost five blocks between the two! You didn't think to do a little footwork before you took this job?!"

"I ran the route! I just wasn't expecting this much attention!" As if on cue, a red and gold satomobile slid to a halt, blocking the alleyway's mouth and their way forward. Adding insult to injury, the sound of an air raid siren filled the air as a Police airship appeared overhead.

"Just stay on my ass!" Alex shouted over the noise before he yanked the hood on his hoodie up and took off at a full sprint. The Triple Threat Triad members that were climbing out of the car originally had their attention of them, but they had shifted their gaze skyward with the arrival of the airship.

With nimble stride, Alex slid across the hood of the car, taking care to drag his hand along behind him before he pushed off again. The running vehicle sputtered and died as the teen cleared the machine, even it's headlights went out. By the time Han copied Alex's movement's from a millisecond earlier, the car was totally devoid of power. The two of them didn't stick around to see the Triad's reaction, opting instead to sprint for the nearest alley.

"What exactly is this way out of yours anyway?" Alex asked, out of breath as they came to a halt in a small intersection of the alley. Ahead of them, the alley continued on normally. To their left, it angled upward slightly with a stone wall, a set of stairs, and a dumpster. On the right, it opened into a small overhang with a single metal door in the brick wall.

"It's the old steam and utility tunnels. They lead under Triple Threat territory. No one goes down there, except maybe the hobos," Han said as he bent over, placing his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. Alex's look turned to one of surprise, then a mixture of anger and annoyance.

"I know which entrance you're talking about, it's on Khan Street you idiot!" he shouted, smacking him once upside the head before he ran toward the stairs.

"Ow! What was that for?" Han asked, rubbing the back of his head before he took off after his friend.

"For trying to get us either arrested or killed because of your stupidity!" As the two of them exited the alley for the second time, a spotlight suddenly illuminated them. They slid to a halt, holding their hands up in an effort to keep the light from blinding them.

"Republic City Police! Stay where you are!"

"Well, shit..."

 _Twenty four hours earlier..._

Alex leaned against the wooden telephone pole with his arms folded. His fingertips tapped impatiently against his arm as he waited. It was dusk, and his shift was almost over. This was his last delivery of the day, and then he'd get paid and he could properly start his weekend. An elderly woman walked out of a nearby restaurant and handed him a large brown package.

"June Akita. She's aboard the _Kumano,_ airship dock number six. You know it, don't you Alex dear?" she asked before slipping him a large pink wad of yuans.

"I know it, Ms. Takana," he said with a small grin. This wasn't his first delivery to the docks for the old woman. Securing the money in his pocket and firmly tucking the package in the crook of his arm, Alex bade Ms. Takana farewell and took of a quick but steady pace.

It was a relatively short trip to the airship docks, little more then a couple of blocks. Alex made good time getting his destination at little more then jog. The airship was easy enough to find. Finding a crew member was a little more challenging. He circled the large craft once, searching the rounded sides for a crew member.

"You lost, boy?" came a voice from overhead. Alex jerked his head upwards and found himself looking at a young woman wearing a white shirt and brown overalls. She was hanging from the hull by a harness, her black hair was tied back into a ponytail, and a pair of brass goggles rested on her forehead.

"Ms. Takana sent over some takeout again, June," Alex replied, holding the package up. June rolled her eyes before she tugged on a section of her harness. Instantly, she was lowered to the dock next to the young courier.

"I love grandma, but she really needs to find a better way to send food then a courier company," she said, flashing Alex a small grin to show that she was teasing. He simply shrugged as he handed the package over.

"Have you seen or heard anything?" he asked, a hint of seriousness in his voice. June's eyes changed from teasing to somber as she tucked the package under her arm.

"Sorry, Alex. No one between here and Omashu has seen or heard of a girl matching her description. Wherever this Kelly girl of yours is, she's not along my route." Alex sighed, but he gave June a sad smile.

"Thank you anyway. Let me know if anything changes," he said, turning and jogging away, giving June a wave over his shoulder. Three months, and he still had no word on either Kelly or Tannan. They had been caught in the explosion, same as him. If he had wound up here, there was nothing that said they didn't either.

Of course, that also meant there was the possibility they were developing strange powers of their own. He hadn't known Tannan long enough to really care about him, but Kelly was his childhood friend. It worried him that she might be going through the same things he was, only out on her own. He'd gotten lucky when he met Asami right after appearing here. He doubted Kelly was able to share his luck.

"Hey you, Courier!" The roar of a souped up car engine brought Alex out of his thoughts as he came to a halt. A red and gold car pulled up beside him with the window down. Inside, a man wearing a bowler hat, tan jacket, and a cocky grin looked him up and down. Alex was instantly on alert when he saw the man and the car. He'd been around enough to know which organization the man represented.

"I got a package for you to deliver," the man said, holding aloft a small brown box. Alex frowned as he leaned forward, placing his hands on the car's roof. The Triads usually only hired couriers to deliver packages when they wanted the delivery to be untraceable. That meant the package was one of two things: drugs, or a bomb.

"You got payment?" he asked. The man flashed him a grin as he held up a large wad of cash. Alex took the money and looked it over before he nodded once at the man.

"Take this to the Sunrise Diner, in Dragon Flats," the man said as he handed him the package. The instant the box entered Alex's hands, he knew exactly what was contained inside. He could feel the power coming from the small battery that was powering the bomb, like his fingers were resting on a pulse.

"Don't worry, it's in good hands," Alex said with a smile, placing his hand back on the roof of the car. Instantly, the car sputtered and died. A string of curses flew from the Triad member's mouth as he turned the keys and tried to start his car in vain. Alex smirked to himself as he jogged off. There was no way the man could know that he had just drained his car's battery of power.

As he rounded a corner, Alex tore the lid off of the box and looked the device over. It was little more then a bundle of dynamite wired to a battery and an egg timer. He rolled his eyes at the simplicity and cheapness of the device before he pinched the battery. A few sparks flew from his fingers as he felt the electricity flow into him.

Alex took a breath in through his nose as he closed his eyes. He felt awake, alive, like he could do anything. His senses were heightened as well. The sounds of the city were clearer, the smells crisper and more defined. Opening his eyes again, he cracked his neck before he started walking.

"If this was a drug, I'd say I have a problem," he said to himself as he crossed a small canal, absentmindedly throwing the now harmless explosive into the water below. Smiling, he took off a jog again. He had a little extra money in his pocket, he was finally free for the night, and he was headed for one of his favorite hangouts.

 _Narook's Seaweed Noodlery._

"One glass of Dragon's Bite," Alex said as he placed a yuan on the bar and took a seat on a stool. The bartender happily scooped up the bill before placing a glass and a bottle of ruby red liquid on the bar before the young man.

"Started without me?" came a voice behind him. Alex glanced over his shoulder and grinned. Standing a short distance away was his friend Han. A lanky and dark young man of Water Tribe origin, Han wore a pair of gray trousers, brown boots, and an olive drab shirt.

"Haven't even popped the cork yet," Alex said as he motioned for Han to take a seat next to him.

"So how was your shift?" Han asked as he sat down and took the glass that was offered to him.

"I had some Triad member try to get me to deliver a bomb somewhere in Dragon Flats," Alex replied as he popped the cork from the bottle and filled both of their glasses.

"What did you do?"

"I took the guy's money, disarmed the bomb, and threw it into the canal over by Fourth Street." Han grinned before he raised his glass.

"To the Triads. May their stupidity continue to line our pockets," he said. Alex laughed before he clinked his glass against his friend's. The two downed their drinks in one go before refilling the glasses again.

"So I'm thinking on doing the Kyoshi Run," Han said as he swirled the drink around. Alex froze before looking at his friend and setting his glass on the bar.

"I think you've had enough," he said as he reached for Han's drink.

"No man, I'm serious. The money is good, and we know the routes better then anyone," Han argued while moving his cup out of reach. The infamous Kyoshi Run was the nickname given to a smuggling route set up by the Terra Triad. If offered a large sum of money as payment, but required that the courier traveled through rival Triad territories. The danger wasn't just from the rival Triads, but also from the Police. Lin Beifong herself had vowed to shut down the route, making it all that more difficult.

"I've been in this city three months, Han, I'm not that eager to get sent off to prison or the morgue," Alex said.

"No, no, hear me out. I got the details of all possible routes for the Run. I'm telling you we know this area, we can do this!" Something about the way Han spoke made Alex narrow his eyes in suspicion.

"You already took the job, didn't you?" Han rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. Alex sighed as he sat his glass back down on the bar.

"Alex, man, I've already gone over the route three times. I'm telling you, I can do it, all I need is someone to run interference for me in case things get hectic."

"You're gonna do it whether I agree to help or not, aren't you?" Han simply shook his head.

"Don't back out of a deal with the Triads, you know that." Alex sighed again before he picked up his glass, downed what was left of his drink, and slammed it back down onto the bar.

"Fine, I'll help. But only 'cause your stupid ass is gonna get yourself killed if I don't," he said before he stood up from the bar.

"Where are you going?"

"Back to my place, I suddenly don't feel much like drinking."

 _Sato Mansion._

"Ah, I love music hour," Asami said as she reclined on a couch. Smooth jazz flowed out of a nearby radio, giving the room a calm, soothing atmosphere.

"Why do I have to do this?" Alex asked as he stood in the corner with an irritated look on his face. He was holding the radio's power cable in his hand, allowing a flow of electricity to power the device. They were in one of the mansion's garages, which had been hurriedly converted to a lab of sorts. A few car batteries sat on a table, lights of various sizes were scattered around, and several mannequins stood about with missing limbs and scorch marks.

"It's good practice for controlling your output, and it helps me relax," the heiress replied without opening her eyes. Alex shot her a glare, but maintained his posture.

"I'm not a human battery."

"Technically you kind of are," she said. He opened his mouth to start a retort, but stopped and clenched his teeth. She was right, he was basically a human battery. Raising his free hand, Alex flicked his wrist like he was lightly tossing a ball. A small bolt of electricity flew from his hand and hit a nearby battery. Instantly, a lamp and another radio that were hooked to the battery came to life. Satisfied with himself, Alex dropped the power cable he was holding and flopped down in a spare chair.

"You okay?" Asami asked, opening her eyes and sitting up slightly to look at him.

"Just a little tired is all. Constantly powering a radio takes more juice then you'd think," Alex replied as he leaned back, looking upward lazily. It wasn't the whole truth, but he didn't want Asami worried about the situation Han had gotten them into.

"Have you told anyone else yet?" she asked. He simply shook his head, continuing to look at the ceiling.

"Not even Han?"

"Han is a good friend, but he's horrible at keeping secrets."

"You know you're gonna have to tell someone at some point. You keep getting more and more powerful, sooner or later someone will notice."

"And what am I suppose to do, Asami? Walk into the Police Headquarters and say 'look what I can do'?"

"It might be just that simple, yes."

"I'm a non bender who can control electricity. Best case, I get strange looks from everyone. Worst case, I wind up strapped to a lab table somewhere," he said. Truth be told, Alex wasn't sure how people would react when they found out what he could do. Back home, everything he had just said was true. But here? Where the ability to throw fire or rock or water around without touching them was an everyday thing? There were simply too many factors to take into account.

"Well, maybe you don't have to open up with something as dramatic then. If not Han, what about that one girl who works on the airships?"

"June? I deliver egg rolls to her for her grandmother, that doesn't exactly suggest the level of friendship that warrants a sudden revel of the ability to shoot lightning from my fingertips."

"Just tell someone, Alex. Keeping this all to yourself isn't going to do you any favors," Asami said. Alex shot her a glance, a tired but cheeky grin forming on his lips.

"Why, Ms. Sato, is it possible that you're getting tired of keeping me all to yourself? Are you thinking of sharing me with one of your girlfriends?" he asked. Asami sat upright on the couch and glared at him, her face turning a pale red as she registered the way he had chosen his wording.

"Alex Chambers, you of all people should know that I would never share without asking you first!" she snapped. She saw the grin on Alex's face widen, and she suddenly went from a pale red to a dark crimson as she realized her own words.

"I mean...that's not...you know," she stuttered. But Alex stood up, silencing her.

"As fun as it is to watch you make a fool of yourself, I'm going to go turn in for the night," he said, ending the conversation and saving Asami from further embarrassment. He had found that situations like these were rather amusing to him. Not to mention that Asami looked cute when she was flustered. Wait, cute? Where did that come from?

 _'Focus, Alex. Don't go getting all head over heals for Asami now, not while Kelly is still out there.'_

 _Present._

"Well, shit," Alex said as they looked upward at the airship. His hood was doing a decent job of hiding his face, but he still held his hand up both to block the light and keep the cops from getting a good look at him.

"We're on Khan Street now, right?"

"Right."

"Run?"

"Run." The hissing sound of a metalbender firing a cable reached their ears, and both teens jumped to the side as the cable impacted the concrete where they had just been standing. Rather then wait for the next set of cables, they sprinted away from the airship and up the street, with Alex once again taking the lead.

Car horns blared as they ran through traffic, trying to put some distance between themselves and the Police. As they ran, their chances seemed to fade even more as a second airship appeared overhead, it's siren wailing. Spotting the next alley that they were headed for, Alex tried to pick up the pace again. But the sound of more cables being fired made him dive and roll forward in an effort to dodge them.

Han, however, wasn't so lucky, quickly becoming entangled in a throng of cables.

"Finish the Run!," he shouted, tossing Alex a small brown package before he was yanked skyward, vanishing into the night and the hold of an airship. Alex slipped the package into his pocket as he sprinted into the alleyway. He bounded over the railing of a small stairway that led into a building's basement. Landing at the base of the stairs, he kicked the door in and ran inside.

Alex wasn't overly worried about his friend at that moment. Without the package, the most the cops had on him was resisting arrest, a very mild offense compared to smuggling and one that Han was familiar with. More then once, he'd bailed his friend out of jail after a drunken night had turned into a brawl.

His primary concern was being caught himself. If he was arrested with the package, then the Police had evidence of them smuggling. And that meant jail time. Reaching a section of the basement that had hard wood flooring rather then concrete, Alex began to stomp his boots. He was not going to prison, not for Han's stupid mistake, or for the Triads.

The ghost of a grin graced his lips as he heard a section of the floor echo. Dropping to a knee, Alex quickly ripped the trapdoor open and looked down into the dark tunnel below. He could see the cobwebs that had formed in the tunnel thanks to years of minimal use, he could even see the little mutant freaks that the locals called spider rats hanging in their webs. Alex hated spiders, and he hated rats, but to be trapped in a close space with a creature that was somehow both? God had a harsh sense of humor.

The sound of more sirens reached his ears from the outside, indicating that more cops were showing up, and they were surrounding the building.

"I'm going to beat Han senseless when this is all over," Alex said through gritted teeth as he lowered himself into the tunnel and slid the trapdoor back into place, hiding any evidence that he had been there.

 **So here it is, the end of the second chapter. I hope y'all are still enjoying it. Drop a review, or a PM, let me know what you liked or didn't like about this chapter. Or if you have an idea, or a question, I'm all ears.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys, welcome to another chapter! A lot of people have shown their support for the story, and that just makes it all worth while. Now then, I have a question to address.**

 **mpowers045: Hopefully this chapter will answer your question. If not, the next one will without a doubt.**

 **Now, on with the show:**

"You know, I could sitting at home right now, enjoying my freedom as a young adult freshly graduated from high school. But noooo, the nut job doctor just HAD to show off his new experiment," Alex muttered to himself as he ducked beneath another cobweb. In his right hand was a short metal pipe with a light bulb stuck in the end. The bulb was giving off a warm, yet faint yellow glow thanks to Alex sending an electric current through the pipe. He had scavenged both parts from the tunnel in an effort to create a makeshift torch so that he could navigate with light. But the bulb's age was a factor, and he didn't want to risk accidentally sending too much power through and causing it to break, or explode for that matter.

"Now here you are, trapped in some weird steampunk parallel world with lightning powers. Navigating an abandoned maintenance tunnel so that the police don't catch you smuggling, wait, what the hell am I carrying anyway?" he asked himself as he quickly came to a halt and pulled the small package out. With nimble fingers, he opened the package and found himself cradling a small glass vile filled with a clear liquid. The writing on the bottle was small and hard to read, but for once Alex was grateful that Asami had taken it upon herself to teach him how to read the Chinese lettering this world used.

"Shirshu Venom? The hell is a Shirshu? You know what, fuck it, I got better things to do then wonder why some Terra Triad asshole wants you so bad," Alex said before slipping the package back into his pocket. Holding his makeshift torch a little higher, the courier made his way forward again. He slipped out of the small maintenance tunnel he had been following and now found himself standing in a much larger tunnel.

Unlike the last tunnel, which had been a square shaped design, this tunnel was round and had a moist smell to it. The faint echo of water dripping could be heard in the distance as Alex's gaze settled on a pair of parallel iron rails in the middle of the tunnel.

"Abandoned subway tunnel. Now we're getting somewhere," he muttered to himself. Figuring that the tracks had to lead somewhere, Alex chose to turn right and follow the tunnel. Occasionally, a spider rat would scamper away into the darkness just beyond the range of his light. He resisted the urge to send a blast of electricity their way, knowing full well that he needed to save his energy to power the light bulb.

The more he walked, the more Alex thought about the current situation of his life. Kelly's disappearance had him growing more worried with each passing day. She was like the sister he had never had, and to go this long without knowing about her welfare was nerve racking. But, over the past three months, Alex found that his childhood friend wasn't the only young woman occupying his thoughts.

As many times as he had tried to push it away, he found that he simply couldn't get Asami out of his head. She had been a good friend to him when most people had not. She had taken him into her own home, offering him a place to stay when she didn't have to. And, she had kept his developing powers a secret when he had asked her to. Not many people he knew would do any of those things.

Of course, it didn't help that she was drop dead beautiful either. Sure, he had tried not to notice the way the sun shined off of her raven black hair, or the way her bright green eyes bored into him when he had done something stupid. He had most definitely tried not to notice the way her bathing suit clung to her when she had first showed him the mansion's pool, or any time since for that matter.

"Focus, Alex. Tunnel now, daydreaming later," he muttered, shaking his head in an effort to bring it back from the clouds. He still had a job to finish, and the last thing he needed was THOSE kinds of thoughts creeping into his head. Things were already awkward enough as it was.

The tracks came a sudden and abrupt end, bringing Alex out of his thoughts as he stopped to study the tunnel around him. From what he could gather, it appeared that construction of the tracks had ended much sooner then intended, probably from a lack of funds. The tunnel itself continued onward into darkness, leaving him to sigh in resignation before he continued onward.

As he continued to walk, Alex began to feel the strain of powering the light bulb for so long. He felt tired, drained, like all he wanted to do was lay down and take a long nap. The feeling only increased as he kept walking. His feet began to feel heavy, like his shoes were made of lead. He had felt these things beforehand when experimenting with his powers, but there had always been a source of electricity nearby for him to quickly rejuvenate.

Groaning, Alex stumbled as a sudden wave of dizziness washed over him. His hand flew out to catch himself on the wall, but he lost his grip on the makeshift torch. The sound of the glass bulb shattering on the concrete floor seemed to echo forever as the tunnel was plunged into pitch darkness. Keeping his hand to the wall, Alex began to inch his way forward.

"Okay God, if I make it out of this nightmare, I'll ask Asami out on a date. What's the worst that could happen? Aside from, you know, the potential of ruining our friendship and making things eternally awkward. Shut up, Alex, focus on getting out of here," he rambled to himself. As he felt along the tunnel wall, he began to notice that he could see something in the darkness.

It was a light, or rather several small lines of light, lacing through the darkness around him like a glowing spiderweb. The more he focused on the light, the more he realized what it was. It was things that were powered by electricity. He could see the power flowing all around him, even through the thick concrete and stone. As he focused harder, he realized he could see the outline of the buildings above him, watching as the electricity flowed into them to power anything electrical.

"That's new," he said to himself in awe. Studying the lines, he realized that he wasn't far from an incomplete metro station, and a possible way out. Picking up the pace, he quickly hurried along the tunnel, keeping his hand on the wall as a reassurance. His new found ability to see electricity didn't help the fact that he was still blind within this tunnel. He could see the tunnel's outline, but any detail beyond that was non existent. Perhaps this is what metalbenders felt when they used seismic sense.

Entering the station, Alex quickly climbed onto the platform from the track bed. He half felt, half followed the lights as he made his way though the station to the boarded up entrance. Using what little strength he had left, he kicked his way through the boards and stumbled out into the open night air.

After taking a quick look around to confirm where he was, Alex began to walk. Despite being back on the surface and once again able to use his eyes, he could still see electricity flowing all around him. He could not only see the buildings, but the outlines of several rooms and appliances contained within each one. It was disorientating to say the least.

Spotting a junction box located in an alleyway nearby, Alex made his way over and yanked the metal door open. He looked the wires over, studying not only them but the power that flowed inside them.

"I'm so going to regret this," he said before he latched onto all of the wires with both hands. A shower of sparks flew from the box as Alex felt the power enter his body. He could only hang on for a moment before the power flowing into him proved to much, blasting him backward into the opposite wall of the alley.

Alex groaned and sat up. The smell of burnt clothing reached his nose, and he realized that he could see scorch marks on his sleeves. But, slowly, he watched his ability to see electricity fade. Perhaps it only emerged when he was really low on power, like his throat going dry when he was thirsty.

Standing up again, Alex brushed himself off and began to walk. There were no Police Airships in sight, and he wasn't far from his destination. It was time to make the drop, get paid, and get back to some place that he could safely rest.

* * *

"Ah, Master Chambers, welcome back. May I take your coat?" A servant said as he opened the door for Alex. After the day's events, he was beyond exhausted. Pulling his hoodie over his head, he draped the garment over the servant's extended arm before he continued through the mansion to the pool room.

With a groan, he flopped down on one of the lounge chairs and closed his eyes. The sound of water flowing from the lion turtle statue's mouth was something that he found calming. Perhaps if he laid here long enough, he could recover some from his very long day.

"Bad day?" came Asami's voice. Alex didn't bother to open his eyes.

"I just spent three hours picking my way through a series of abandoned maintenance and subway tunnels while constantly powering a light bulb," he replied. He could hear the sound of Asmai sitting on the other lounge chair.

"Spirits, you must be exhausted."

"I feel like I just got done running two marathons."

"What happened?"

"Han did something stupid, and I wound up covering his ass. Like usual."

"He got arrested again, didn't he?" Alex opened his eyes and looked at Asami for the first time. Remembering the promise he had made in the tunnel, he almost wished he hadn't. The heiress was wearing a black one piece bathing suit, making his tongue feel dry and heavy in his mouth.

"Yeah," he managed to croak out.

"Another bar fight?"

"Not exactly, but he was resisting arrest again," he said, somehow managing to resume control of his vocal cords. Taking a breath, he decided to change the topic.

"Hey, Asami. I got a question for you."

"Sure, what's up?"

"Alex, my boy!" Both the courier and the heiress jumped at the sound of the new voice. Standing nearby was Hiroshi Sato, Asami's father.

"Hey, Mr. Sato, what can I do for you?" Alex asked.

"I told you, call me Hiroshi."

"Whatever you say, Mr. Sato." Hiroshi had agreed to take Alex in and give him a roof over his head, so Alex was bound and determined to show the inventor of the Satomobile the utmost respect. The business tycoon shook his head, but decided to let it slide with an amused smile in his eyes.

"There's a gala being held Saturday night to commemorate the sixty fifth anniversary of the founding of Republic City. Asami and I have been invited, and we have an invitation for a plus one," he said. Alex looked past Hiroshi to Asami.

"Gala is a fancy word for fancy party right?" he asked with an eyebrow cocked. She simply nodded, an amused smirk on her lips.

"I don't know, Mr. Sato, tuxedos and champagne glasses aren't really my thing."

"Oh, it's not so bad. The food is catered by some of the finest restaurants in the city. And besides, Asami could use an escort."

"Dad!" Asami exclaimed, her cheeks turning a shade of pink. Alex blinked in surprise and disbelief. Did Hiroshi just try to set him and Asami up on a date?

"You know I don't have anything nice enough for something like that," he said. It wasn't that he was nervous about the possibility of going on a form of a date with Asami, it was just that he wasn't comfortable with parties. Or large gatherings of wealthy people. Or people in general. Of course, having electrical abilities that may or may not be under his control didn't help matters either.

"You let me worry about that. So, will you join us?" Hiroshi asked. Alex glanced back and forth between the two.

"Alright, I'll go. I mean, what's the worst that could happen?" he asked. Hiroshi beamed, but Asami shot him a look of horror.

"Excellent! I'll get my personal tailor on the job at once!" the businessman said before leaving the room. Asami's look didn't fade.

"What?"

"'What's the worst that could happen?' Are you trying to turn the universe against you? You know exactly what can happen."

"Are you sure your not just worried about being set up on a date with me by your dad?" Alex asked.

"I'm worried about my best friend turning into a lightning rod in the middle of a room full of Republic City's elite," Asami replied. Alex sat up and gently placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Asami, I have enough control over it now that I don't discharge unless I want to. Everything will be fine," he said, his gray eyes looking deep into her green. Finally, she sighed and visibility relaxed.

"Okay, I trust you. But if something goes wrong, I'm blaming you."

 _Republic City Four Elements Hotel._

"How do people stand wearing this stuff all the time?" Alex asked as he tugged on his collar. He was clearly uncomfortable with the tux he was currently in.

"You've never been in a tuxedo before, have you?" Asami asked. The heiress was wearing a dark red evening dress and had her left arm hooked through the crook in Alex's right. They were in the Hotel's main foyer. Several people milled about around them. The wealthy and the famous rubbed shoulders with foreign diplomats and government officials.

"I wore one for my senior prom," he said. Asami blinked and shot him a look.

"Did you just remember something?" Alex frowned as he realized his slip up. He still maintained memory loss as his cover story, but he still didn't know how to tell Asami the truth. Who would believe him anyway? He was from a different world that didn't have bending as was years ahead in terms of technology. After three months of being here, even he was finding it hard to believe.

"Yeah, I think I did," he said, deciding to roll with it.

"That's great! Is there anything else?"

"I remember that I went with Kelly, but other then that everything's fuzzy," he said. Asami eyed him curiously.

"Are you sure that this Kelly girl wasn't your girlfriend?" she asked.

"Why Asami, do I detect I hint of jealousy?" This earned him a hard punch to the arm.

"Okay, point taken. No, she was my closest and oldest friend, but we were never involved romantically."

"It sounds like you two would have made a good couple."

"I always thought of Kelly as the sister I never had. Besides, I've got my eye on someone else."

"Who?" Alex's eyes flashed with amusement.

"Wouldn't you like to know."

"Is it June?" Now he could detect the jealousy in her voice.

"Why do you want to know so bad, Asami?"

"Because I've had my eye on someone too," she said, staring straight ahead as they walked into a large ballroom. Alex felt his mouth go dry. Was it possible that she liked him as more then a friend? Or, much more to his distaste, was it possible that Asami liked someone else and was using him as an example?

"Anyone I know?" he asked as they came to a halt next to a rather large fountain. Water cascaded down into a pool over the four elemental symbols. Large submerged lights shined out from the bottom of the pool, illuminating the rest of the pool in a golden shimmering light.

"I'll tell you, if you tell me," Asami replied. Any hint of joking was gone between them was gone now, leaving a feeling a tension in the air between the two.

"Hey there, little lady," came the drunken slur of a young pale man with purple hair. The way he walked, aside from the drunken stagger, made it clear that he thought very highly of himself. The smell of alcohol flooded their nostrils.

"Can I help you?" Asami asked, her face wrinkling in at the smell wafting off of him.

"Maybe you've heard of me. I'm Tahno, of the White Falls Wolfbats. Pro-Bending champions three years running," he replied.

"Okay, that neat, good to know," Alex said, placing himself between Tahno and Asami.

"Hey, hey, keep it relaxed man, I'm just trying to have a conversation with the dame is all."

"WE were already having a conversation."

"You were? Psh, a street rat like you wouldn't know the first thing to say to a gal like her."

"If you must know, this 'gal' that you're referring to is here on HIS arm, and we were having a conversation that you rudely interrupted," Asami said, intertwining her arm with his as if they were a couple. The drunken Pro-Bender looked back and forth between the two for a moment before he gave a shrug.

"Ah well, there's always next time. Catch you later, doll," he said as he walked away. But before he totally left, he gave a swift pat onto Asami's rear end. Faster then a bolt of lightning, two things happened. The Heiress' face turned a bright shade of crimson from rage, and Alex's fist connected with the spot between Tahno's eyes at full force.

Tahno sprawled out on the floor, and in an instant Alex had his tux jacket off and his sleeves pulled up, ready for a fight. The murmurings of conversation died down as all eyes turned toward the commotion.

"Alex, he's drunk, and you're causing a scene," Asami warned.

"That maybe true, but he's also a raging ass who insulted your honor," he replied as the waterbender began to get to his feet.

"Alright, if that's how you wanna play, let me show ya why the Wolfbats are the champs!" Tahno said before throwing up his arms. A tentacle of water shot out of the fountain, and before Alex could react, he was dragged into the fountain's pool.

Sparks and arcs of electricity instantly flew from the water, causing everyone to take several steps back. What sounded like corks being popped from champagne bottles was actually the sound of the underwater lights exploding. In the center of it all, Alex's body kicked and thrashed about like a fish out of water.

"ALEX!" Asami screamed, starting to rush forward. But a strong arm wrapped around her midsection and held her back.

"No kid, you'll get fried!" came a gruff female voice from behind her. Asami glanced back in her struggle to get free and realized she was being restrained by Lin Beifong herself. After a few moments, the light show finally died down, and Alex's body stopped thrashing about. He was floating face up in the fountain, and it was impossible to tell if he was alive or dead.

"Get an ambulance, now!"

 **And like that, we wrap with a cliffhanger! mpowers I hope your question got answered, and you have more coming my way. Now, feel free to drop a review or a PM, whether it's just to point out something that went wrong or ask a question, it doesn't matter to me. Until next time!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys, I'm back with another chapter. This story has gotten up to 30 follows, holy crap! I didn't think this would get that much attention. Thanks, and keep up the support! Now, on with the new chapter:**

 _Republic City Mental Ward._

Doctor Yang hid behind the admission desk, his chest heaving as he breathed in terror. Down the hall, he could hear a nurse scream, and then fall silent. Reaching up, he grabbed the phone off of the desk and yanked it down.

"Operator, get me the police, now!" he whispered. The Doctor's day had started relatively quietly, or as quiet as it could possibly get treating a ward full of mental patents. One patent, however, had suddenly gone on a rampage. He knew the guy well, having treated him for the past three months. Other then insisting that he was a scientist from another world, this patent had never shown any violent tendencies. Until now.

"Hello? Yes, this is Doctor Yang, we have a patent attempting to escape from the Mental Ward," he said, but suddenly stopped as the line went dead. Looking up, he found himself face to face with Tannan, who had his fingers pressing down on the receiver.

"Good evening, Doctor Yang. I believe it's time you and I had a little chat," he said before yanking the man up by his collar. Placing his palm over the Doctor's mouth so he couldn't scream, Tannan glared into the man's eyes.

"Three months, you assholes have had me locked up in here. Never once did you give me a chance to prove to you that I was telling you the truth. Well now, I'm going to prove it to everyone, and there's nothing you can do to stop me," he said. As he spoke, the color began to drain from Yang's face, while at the same time Tannan's hand began to turn flush. After a moment, the Doctor's eyes rolled back into his head, and Tannan let the now lifeless body fall to the floor.

Cracking his neck, Tannan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It was good to be at the top of the food chain.

* * *

Alex groaned as he slowly opened his eyes and then squeezed them closed again. The lights in the room were way to bright. Forcing them open again, he waited until his eyesight adjusted before he took a good look around. He was in bed in a white hospital room. Asami was in a chair in the corner, a jacket sprawled out over her as a makeshift blanket as she slept.

He smiled tiredly at the sight before he began to look himself over. Logic told him that there had to be some reason he was in here. Pulling down the blanket, Alex realized that most of his chest and torso was covered in bandages. His arms had angry red burn lines that twisted down their full length.

Thinking back, the last thing Alex remembered was being thrown into the fountain by Tahno. It didn't take a genus to figure out what had happened next. He had always felt drained after taking a shower, and had never set a single toe into the mansion's pool out of fear of what could possibly happen. Well, now he knew what would happen.

"Alex?" Asami asked in a small voice, her eyes barely open. He gave her a small, weak smile.

"Some fight, huh? Does the other guy look half as bad as me?" he asked. Asami remained silent as she stood and walked to the side of his bed. Slowly, she sank to her knees next to him and intertwined her fingers with his left hand.

"You had me so worried. You were laying so still that no one could tell if you were still alive or not. And then, when the paramedics got you out, and we saw the extent of your burns..." the Heiress trailed off, unable to continue. Alex, however, was frowning.

"Burns? How much worse is it then this?" he asked, gesturing at his midsection. Asami reached into her pocket and pulled out the small mirror that she used to adjust her makeup. As she handed it to him, he realized just how drastic his appearance had changed.

The left half of his face was an angry red color, mixed with some blacks and blues, and even a few touches of green on his cheek. Both of his eyebrows were gone, and his wild dirty blonde hair had been shaved, leaving him with a buzz cut. Turning his head slightly so that he could see better with the mirror, he realized that the burns extended as far back as his ear and even ran down to his neck.

"They felt the need to shave my head because I have a sunburn?" he asked before handing the mirror back to its owner.

"From what we could tell, your hair actually caught fire for a moment before fountain water put it out. The doctors had to shave what little hair was left to find out how far up the burns went."

"Again, a sunburn?" Asami shook her head.

"They were much, much worse," she said. The way she said it gave Alex a chill.

"Asami, I want the truth. How bad was I?" The Heiress didn't say anything as she picked up a newspaper and handed it to him.

"Local teen survives electrocution," he said, reading the headlines. Below that was a picture of him lying unconscious in the hospital bed. The version of him in the picture, however, looked like a burn victim, rather then someone with aggressive sunburn. He stared at the image, looked at Asami, and then looked back at the paper.

"The doctors aren't sure how, but you've healed much faster then anyone else with those kinds of injuries. Now that you're awake they might release you," she said.

"I guess we can add accelerated healing to my ever growing list of weird abilities," Alex said as he sat the paper to the side. Looking Asami over, he took a deep breath and decided that it was now or never.

"We need to talk," he said. The Heiress perked up slightly, showing that she was listening.

"About what?"

"You know about what. When we were at the Gala, you said something about having your eye on someone. That someone wouldn't happen to be me, would it?" he asked. Asami's cheeks turned pink and she looked away. Alex found it cute, if he wasn't totally freaking out about what he was about to do.

"Listen, before we go any further, there's something you should know about me," he started. From there, he spent the next portion of an hour telling her everything. How he had lied about the memory loss, where he came from, how he had gotten here, all of it. He even showed her his cell phone as proof that he wasn't insane or making things up. By the time it was all said and done, the Heiress was deadly quiet and unmoving.

"I have two things to say to you," she finally said, breaking the silence as she got to her feet. Reaching down, she slapped Alex on the cheek as hard as she could. He blinked in surprise and cupped his cheek in pain, having not expected the blow.

"That, was for lying to me all this time and not spilling the truth," she said before leaning down and kissing him firmly on the lips. Once again, Alex was surprised. He was kissing Asami Sato. His mind almost turned to mush trying to comprehend it. After a tender moment, she broke away and leaned back again.

"And that, was to let you know that my feelings haven't changed," she said. The courier couldn't believe his luck. Asami liked him as something more then a friend. She liked him, like he had grown to like her.

"Asami..." he trailed off, his voice barely above a whisper. He raised his hand and barely brushed against her cheek. The heiress reached up and took his hand in her own and gripped it tightly. All of her emotions; the fear, the worry, the uncertainty were clear in her eyes. Alex gently cupped her cheek, and Asami closed her eyes and visibly relaxed, her hand still holding his.

His heart was pounding in his chest. Not out of nervousness, like it had before, but out of anticipation. It was different, knowing that Asami wanted it like he did. And that gave him some confidence as the two of them began to lean in again.

 _"And the magic of the moment, exploded with desire."_

The pair jumped at the sudden blast of music, unsure of what was going on. Looking down, Alex realized that he had accidentally brushed against his phone and got it to start playing music.

 _"When the time is right, the sparks ignite. And set the night on fire."_

 _"It's Chain Lightnin', too hot to fight, hot on the heels of a Saturday Night."_

 _"Chain Lightnin', out of control, straight to the heart and down to your soul."_

 _"Chain Lightnin', heaven above. Another day older, still searching for love."_

 _"Chain Lightnin,' too hot to fight, and it's hotter then hell in the heavens tonight."_

Alex quickly tapped the stop button and grinned sheepishly at Asami.

"Sorry," he said. For the first time, he was thankful for the burns to hide that fact that he was blushing. Asami swallowed and brushed her hair behind her ear, her own cheeks gaining some color.

"Don't worry about it. Just an unexpected interruption is all," she replied, her voice containing way more confidence then she felt.

Anything Alex had been about to say was lost as the door to the room suddenly flew open. Two metalbender cops stood at attention by the door as Lin Beifong walked into the room with a file tucked under her arm. Alex quickly slid his phone under the blanket, hid the device from the woman.

"Well I didn't believe the roomers going around, but now that I'm here I can see for myself that you're on the mend. Looks like I'm out on twenty yuans," the Chief said. Alex cocked his eyebrow at her.

"You bet I wouldn't live? Kind of morbid, don't you think?"

"Kid, I pulled you from that fountain myself. I saw the amount of electricity that entered you, and I saw the damage your body suffered first hand. Frankly speaking, there's no way you should have survived. Luck seems to favor you."

"Are you here because you hope some of his luck will rub off, Chief Beifong?" Asami asked.

"No, actually I'm here on business. Earlier this morning, a patient escaped from the city's Mental Ward, leaving six dead in his wake."

"And what does this have to do with me? I've been here the whole time, I only woke up a few hours ago," Alex said.

"Because the patient mentioned you by name several times during the three months he was held there," Lin said as she handed him a photograph of Tannan. Alex felt his blood run cold as he looked over the picture of the man who's experiment had changed his life forever. It wasn't Kelly's location like he had been searching for, but it was a step closer none the less.

"How did he get out? He doesn't look very tough." What he said was true. Tannan was a very skinny, lanky man. So much so, in fact, that Alex would have bet money that Asami could break him like a stick over her knee with little to no effort.

"We're not entirely sure. The healers that examined the bodies say that the people had their chi drained out of them. They died because their bodies were literally drained of energy."

"So he's what, some kind of Chi vampire?" Alex asked.

"That's what I want to know. You're the one he's taken an interest in, Mr. Chambers. Any idea why?" For a long time, Alex remained silent as he stared at the photograph. He had developed energy based abilities after the accident, so it wasn't that far fetched that Tannan would as well. The difference was that while Alex had done his best to hide his abilities, Tannan clearly had no problem in showing them off and using them to hurt people.

"Chief, I can honestly say that I don't know this guy," he finally said, handing the photograph back to her. Lin gave him a look that clearly stated she didn't believe him, but said nothing regarding the matter.

"Thank you for your time, Mr. Chambers," she said, packing up her file and strolling out the door. The two metalbenders followed her out the room, but remained standing guard outside the door. This didn't go unnoticed by Asami.

"She left you some company."

"I'm not surprised. She thinks that Tannan will come here after me, so she's trying to be ready for him."

"She's using you as bait?"

"Obviously."

"And you're willingly going along with it?" Alex cocked his eyebrow at her.

"Did you hear me ask 'em to stay?" he asked. Asami couldn't argue with that, so she decided to change the topic.

"You lied to Beifong. You know the guy, don't you?"

"I know the guy. Well, not personally, but yes I know him. He's the scientist that conducted the experiment that brought me here," Alex said.

"And the whole draining people of energy thing?" For a long time, the courier was silent as he thought over what he had learned so far.

"It's obvious that he's developed some kind of energy based abilities, though God knows to what extent or how powerful he is," he said.

"So what's the plan?" Alex slowly got out of bed and hobbled his way over to the window. The city's skyline glowed before him like pillars of diamond beneath the night sky. Looking down at his hand, he flexed his fingers and watched as small arcs of electricity danced between them.

"Now, we've got to get me released. We've got work to do."

 _Southern Water Tribe._

Avatar Korra let out sharp breath and watched as the steam curled upward into the dark sky before fading out of sight. She didn't have much longer before the White Lotus noticed her absence from the Compound and sent a search party to find her. She was currently leaning against her polar bear dog, Naga, as she waited on a friend.

Korra was on her way to Republic City in order to learn airbending from Tenzin. She was convinced that staying locked up in the Compound wasn't doing her any favors as the Avatar or a person in general, so she made the decision to escape. Her friend, whom she had met three months ago while taking Naga out for a ride, had agreed to accompany her to the city.

"You're late," Korra said as she heard the crunch of boots on snow reach her ears. From out of the shadows came a young woman about Korra's age wearing a blue parka and a pair of glasses.

"We're doing fine on time, I just checked the roster sheet and the ship you plan to use doesn't sail for another hour," Kelly replied.

"That's not what I meant. We have the White Lotus after us, you know that."

"Technically they're after you. I'm just along for the ride."

"I could have gone on my own and left you behind, you know," Korra said.

"Without me, you would have stowed away without a plan and a change of clothes," Kelly replied, crossing her arms while tossing Korra a single coin. The Avatar caught the coin, clenched her teeth and looked away. As much as she hated to admit it, Kelly was right. She was so focused on getting to Republic City that she was ready to set off with little more then the clothes on her back. With a sigh, she absentmindedly flipped the coin into the air.

Rather then land back in her open palm, the coin sailed through the air and attached itself to the backside of Kelly's hand. The bespectacled young woman flashed the Avatar a mischievous grin as she pulled the coin off of her hand and slipped it into her pocket.

"You're getting better with that," Korra noted.

"Somewhat. Do you have any idea how annoying magnetism actually is? I once had an entire ally full of trashcans run me down cause I wasn't paying attention to it."

"Still, aside from the possibility of being mauled by a dumpster, you can do just about anything a metalbender can do, more so in some cases."

"I also can't use a compass or go anywhere near a computer ever again, so there's that little tid bit," Kelly said, crossing her arms in a pout. She had found out about the effects of magnetism on her cell phone shortly after her powers had started to develop the hard way, leaving it as little more then a paperweight.

"So what's your plan after we get into the city? You gonna come stay on Air Temple Island with me?" Korra asked as they started to walk toward the docks.

"Assuming that they don't just ship you right back down here, I'm still going to have to say no. I've got someone I'm trying to track down, and Republic City seems like the best place to start."

"Oh yeah, that friend of yours. What was his name? Ajax?"

"Alex."

"That's it. Do you think he's had the same problems you've been having?" Korra asked, motioning toward the pocket where Kelly had stashed the coin. Kelly simply shrugged.

"I'm not really sure. But if I know Alex he's probably gotten himself into trouble at least a dozen times by now. That should make it a little easier to track him down."

"And after you find him, what will you do then?" That brought Kelly pause. What was her plan after she found Alex? They could try and find their way back home, assuming there was a way back home. Was a normal life even possible for her after developing these new abilities? And on top of it all, after everything she had seen, would she and Alex even want to go home?

"I don't know. Maybe I'll take you up on the Air Temple offer," she said.

"But Alex comes first."

"Yes, Alex first, then Air Temple."

"Just promise me you won't get into any trouble after we get to the city." Kelly gave Korra a look.

"I'm not the one who needs an eye kept on her," she said while crossing her arms. Korra cocked her eyebrow.

"What are you saying?"

"I bet ten yuan that you'll get arrested before I do," Kelly said, holding her hand out to shake and seal the bet. Korra looked at the hand for a moment before she grinned and shook it.

"You're on."

 **And that's a rap. Hopefully you guys are still finding this enjoyable. Now the next chapter will have some long awaited action, so stick around, drop a review or a PM, ask questions, and I'll see you all in the next one.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Happy New Years! I have a new chapter for you. It's a little shorter then usual, but new none the less, not to mention a little action, as promised. So without anymore delay, onto the story:**

"Hit it again!" Alex wiped a bead of sweat from his brow before he threw his hand forward again. A bolt of lightning flew from his fingertips and struck a mannequin standing nearby. The bright blueish white light briefly lit the room up as his target toppled over. A short clap of thunder filled the air as he released his flow of electricity. The mannequin, made of cotton and brought in from Asami's dressing room, was smoldering.

"You're getting stronger. Before the fountain you had trouble keeping a light bulb lit, now you're setting my dressing room items on fire as easily as flicking your wrist," Asami said, tapping the mannequin with the toe of her shoe.

"Just when I think I'm starting to find my limits, it turns out I'm no where even close to finding them," Alex replied as he took a drink of water. There was frustration in his voice. He wanted to be normal, or at the very least have an understanding of what he was capable of. Not knowing what he could do, particularly with these abilities, was dangerous to say the least.

"You keep going at this rate you could get a job at the power plant," Asami said as she sat the still smoking mannequin upright again.

"If I keep going at this rate I'll be able to hit someone with enough electricity their grandchildren will spontaneously combust," he replied grimly as he flopped down in a chair. Asami gave him a worried look as she made her way over and sat next to him.

"I thought you'd like this, being able to do more then you could before.

"It's the not knowing that scares me, Asami. I could very easily kill someone on accident with this if I'm not careful." The heiress could easily see the stress on his face. Springing to her feet, she grabbed Alex by the hand and pulled him up as well.

"Come on, let's go get a drink."

* * *

"I thought we were getting a drink, not you a drink."

"Sometimes I need a pick me up."

The evening sun was sinking out over the sea, and the air had a crisp bite to it. Afternoon rush hour clogged Republic City's streets. Asami walked down the street, her left arm looped through Alex's while she held a steaming cup of tea in her right. Alex had his hands stuffed in his jacket pockets in an attempt to keep his fingers warm. It wasn't that he needed gloves to keep his hands warm, arcing electricity between his fingers easily did that. But he ran the risk of electrocuting Asami, so it was the pockets for his hands.

Almost a week had passed since Alex had been released from the hospital. Virtually all of his burns and bruises had healed. To top things off, he felt stronger and more powerful. He could power all kinds of electronics longer and with less effort. His control had also improved, meaning that the electricity only came to him when he willed it. There were still instances where there'd be a powerful, and painful static shock, but these instances had grown fewer and farther between.

Alex's healing and increase in power wasn't the only thing that had changed. Asami and him had been spending virtually all of their time together, so much so that even Hiroshi, who was virtually always at Future Industries had started to take notice.

"There's another one," Alex said, motioning toward a poster attached to a nearby wall. It was an Equalist propaganda poster, one depicting Amon holding his fist aloft as he called non benders to action.

"They've been popping up a lot more recently," Asami noted.

"I know, the whole underground is talking about them."

"What do you think of them?" she asked as they stopped by a street vendor. Alex handed the man a yuan and received a meat stick in return.

"A lot of what Amon says makes sense. Benders tend to get a better take then non benders in this city."

"I'm sensing a but in there somewhere." Alex cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Probably because there is," he said, "The Equalists remind me a lot of the communist groups they had years ago back home. They promised to make things better for everyone, while terrorizing the crap out of everybody in the process."

"So you don't trust them."

"Pretty much." The couple continued to walk past the poster, deciding to get on with their evening rather then fret about the Equalists. Asami took the lead now, pulling Alex off the street into a small hole-in-the-wall club.

Fast passed swing/jazz assaulted their ears as their eyes adjusted to the light in the room. A bar ran the length of the room on their right. Booths lined the wall to their left, and in the far left corner, spotlights on the ceiling illuminated the band and a singer. Several couples were on the dance floor, swinging along to the music.

"You know I don't dance," Alex said over the music. Asami merely gave him a smile.

"I know, I'll get us a seat, you get us some drinks." Alex returned the smile before he headed to the bar. All manner of people were around him. Students, Triad members, all of them looking for a good time.

"What can I get you?" the bartender asked. Alex looked over the various bottles that lined the shelves behind the man. Dragon's Bite, the drink he usually ordered, had too much of a burn for Asami's taste.

"I need something that me and my lady friend over there can enjoy," he said, motioning over his shoulder toward the booth where Asami waited. The bartender looked Asami over before he reached under the bar and grabbed a cobalt blue bottle and a pair of glasses.

"Turtle Dove's Kiss, specially imported from Ember Island." Alex reached into his wallet and scooped out all the yuans he had before laying the bills on bar. The bartender simply smiled as he took the cash and slid the bottle toward the courier. Alex rolled his eyes at the price before he grabbed the bottle and glasses and made his way toward Asami.

"I hope this stuff is good, considering how much it costs" he said as he slid into the booth next to her.

"You could have just gotten what you usually get and saved yourself some cash," Asami said.

"That stuff burns as bad as flaming paint thinner. Besides, I felt like treating you." The two of them smiled as Alex poured the drinks. They raised their glasses in a short toast before downing the clear liquid in a single go. It had a fruity taste to it, with a nice glowing warmth afterward.

"Not bad, I think I found my new favorite drink," Asami said.

"Only for your birthday and the holidays," Alex said, giving her a look. The heiress simply smiled in response. Across the room, Han walked up to the bar and began to order a drink. A drunk Triad member stumbled into the courier, who was already in a fowl mood. He shoved the drunk back, and in an instant a fight broke out.

"Hey, a tussle," Alex said, perking up as he took notice of the scrap. Asami was well aware of her boyfriend's knack of getting involved in bar fights, or fights in general. More then once, she had applied a piece of cold meat to a black eye or swollen cheek when he had stumbled back into the mansion. That was the primary reasoning for the glare she sent his way now.

"Don't. Even. Think about it," she said.

"Relax, I'm not getting involved in a fight while I'm out on the town with you. Besides, I owe Han one anyway," he replied as they looked toward the fight. Two Triad members had grabbed Han by arms and restrained him while a third moved punch him repeatedly in the gut.

Han, despite already having a split lip and bloody nose, had no intention of ending the fight like this. He swung his legs upward and kicked the Triad member that was coming at him. The man, a firebender based on his clothing, stumbled backwards and fell, smashing through Alex and Asami's table. The couple watched as their bottle sailed into the air and shattered across the floor.

"So, about that whole not getting involved thing..."

"They wasted a full bottle of my drink...kick some ass, light bulb," Asami said with an evil smile. Alex kissed her on the cheek before he let out a battle cry and tacked the nearest Triad member.

* * *

"I've taken self defense classes since I was a little girl, and never have I seen someone fight like that," Asami said as they stumbled out of the bar with her supporting Alex on her shoulder. The courier was supporting a few scratches on his cheeks, a fat upper lip, a split lower lip, and blood was flowing freely from his left nostril.

"My dad was in the Army Rangers, and insisted that I know how to defend myself," he replied.

"Well you sure did a number on those Triad members."

"Yeah, that's what's got me worried. We should get moving before more of their friends show up. None of the Triads take it very well if you beat up a few of their members," Alex said. As if on cue, the roar of a car engine filled the air. A red and gold Triple Threat Triad racer rounded the corner and came to a halt next to the couple.

"There's the little punk, get him!" shouted the driver as a group of four members climbed out of the car. Two of them grabbed Alex by the arms, while a third went to grab Asami. The heiress wasted no time, grabbing the Triad member's outstretched arm and twisting it so that she was behind him with his arm bent at an awkward angle. A sicking pop filled the air as she dislocated the man's shoulder and let him fall to the street wailing in pain.

"Your girl's got skill, Chambers, but that's not going to stop us from sending you to the hospital," the driver said, a firebender based on his clothing.

"She's not the only one," Alex said with a glare. Grabbing one of the Triad members, he gave the man a quick static shock. With his arm now free, he turned and drove a fist into the face of the remaining Triad, breaking the man's nose in the process. Turning back to the first man, Alex put him into a choke hold and held tight until he quit struggling.

"Not bad for a non bender, eh? Come on, hot shot, give me your all!" Alex said as he turned back to the driver.

"You must be drunk off your ass if you think a non bender can handle this. But who am I to question what you want in life," the driver replied. He gave his arms a wide arc before thrusting his hand forward with his index and middle finger extended. A bolt of lightning covered the distance between the two in an instant, launching Alex backward into the wall behind him.

The driver smiled sinisterly as he turned his attention from the downed courier to Asami. He held up his hands and allowed flames to dance across his fingers. No amount of self defense training would be able to protect the heiress from his assault, and both of them knew it. Asami took a half step backwards and got into a fighting stance. She wasn't going down in without a fight.

To the driver's surprise, and Asami's delight, Alex pushed himself back to his feet. His shirt was smoldering where the lightning had stuck him. But they both watched as the cuts and bruises on his face healed before their eyes. Alex glanced down at his hands. His knuckles, which had been scrapped up and bloodied from the fight inside the bar, were healing as well.

"My turn," he said before throwing his hand outward. Instantly his own arc of electricity sprang forward. Unlike the firebender's lightning bolt, which had been a single concentrated arc, Alex's bolt was several arcs clumped close together. They all struck the driver in the chest, sending him flying backwards over the hood of the car and into the street.

Walking forward, Alex knelt and checked to see if the driver was still alive. To his relief, he found the man singed and unconscious, but alive nonetheless. Asami appeared at his side, looking over the fallen Triad member as well.

"Well, you didn't kill him, but he won't have any body hair for a while," she said. Alex stood and looked over the aftermath of the fight. This wasn't the first time someone had actively tried to hurt him, but it was the first time someone had hunted him down for that purpose. The fact that they had intended to hurt Asami as well only added fuel to the fire that was growing in his belly.

"They came after you, for something I did," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"I can handle myself, Alex, I'm not afraid." He looked down at his hand and watched the electricity dance through his fingers.

"You're right. You shouldn't be afraid. And maybe it's time I wasn't afraid either. Maybe it's time I did something other then just sit around zap light bulbs," he said before he looked her in the eye, "Maybe it's time I teach the Triads something about fear."

 _Dragon Flats Borough._

"You should know that there is nothing personal about this. You were in the wrong place at the wrong time, I'm sorry," Tannan said before he released his hold on the police officer. The metalbender didn't make a noise, but simply collapsed to the ground with a clang. Taking a breath, the scientist threw his arms forward. Instantly the metalbender's armor pealed itself off of its former owner's body and wrapped itself around him.

"Hm, metalbending. This should come in handy," he said before he plucked the helmet from the man's body and slid it on. Walking out of the alley, Tannan stopped briefly to check his reflection in the glass of a storefront window. He looked every bit the part of a metalbending officer. Giving himself a small grin, he continued on as if nothing had happened.

His plan was a simple one. Infiltrate the Police Department and use their records to locate either Alex or Kelly. That, and he wanted revenge on the police for their involvement in his incarceration at the mental ward. He had discovered that the more people he drained, the stronger he got. If he got even a few members of the metalbending police force, he would become more powerful then Toph Beifong herself. And why should he stop at metal and earthbending? The police were fighting the Triads, which gave him targets that were water and firebenders. If his plan worked, he could become more powerful then this Avatar person he had heard so much about.

Tannan continued to smile to himself as he walked. This had started as a scientific endeavor, a means of discovering what a human could accomplish with his hands and his mind. But it had become so much more. This was about evolution. This was about becoming so powerful, he could rival a god. He had always been laughed at, or mocked, or just disregarded in general. Now was his chance to change all of that.

The pinnacle of it all was Alex. He had seen the newspaper story covering the teen's seemingly miraculous survival after being electrocuted. But Tannan knew enough to read between the lines. If he had developed abilities after the accident, then young Chambers must have as well. He didn't know about young Kelly, but Alex he knew for sure was in the city.

And if he could gain this kind of power by draining a bender, what could he gain by draining one like him?

 **And another chapter down. Like I said, this one was shorter then usual, but hopefully the next chapter will make up for that. You know the drill by now, drop a review or a PM, ask a question or two, and I'll see you all in the next one.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys, I'm back with another chapter. I can't thank you all enough for all your support of this story. Now then, I have a few questions to address:**

 **mpowers045: I have no intention of ending Alex and Asami's relationship.**

 **atom king: While his powers are based on Cole's, Alex will not have all of them. At some point he'll get his own version of the amp, but that's still a little ways off.**

 **Anyway, with that out of the way let's move on to the story:**

Korra groaned in frustration as she looked at the street signs. All she had to do was just head toward the bay, but the towering buildings and maze like streets of Republic City had proven more confusing then she had originally thought, and she was now hopelessly lost. Kelly had split off from her hours ago, saying she was going to acquire some cash and a map to help them locate Air Temple Island.

But the more time passed, the more Korra began to lose hope that her friend was coming back. The city was big, and it wouldn't be hard for her to have gotten lost trying to find her way back. Even if Kelly had experience with big cities before, Korra had wandered enough by now that her chances of finding the Avatar were slim.

"Maybe we should ask for directions," she said, scratching Naga affectionately under the chin. The polar bear dog gave a small whine and licked her master's face. Looking out over the street in front of her, Korra chose a nearby fruit stand. An old woman and a young man were sitting next to the stand playing Pai Sho.

"Excuse me, I'm lost, can you tell me how to get to Air Temple Island from here?" she asked, stopping next to the game.

"Just head down this street," the old woman replied kindly, pointing in the direction that she had originally been heading. The roar of a souped up car engine echoed off of the buildings as a red and gold racer pulled around the corner. Instantly, people raced to clear the street and shop owners ducked inside their shops.

"You should get moving, young lady, it isn't safe," the old woman said as she and her gaming partner ducked behind their stand. Confused, and curious, Korra turned her attention toward the car. Three men climbed out of the vehicle. A dapper dressed man in blue with a fedora, a hulking hunchback in green, and a short, pale, lanky man in black. The three of them approached the owner of a phonograph shop like wolves moving in on prey.

"Mr. Chun, I really hope you have my money. Otherwise I can guarantee the protection of your fine establishment," the man in the fedora said while the man in black produced a flame in his hand. Korra watched in stunned silence as a person wearing a black jacket with a hood pulled up over its head dropped from the shop rooftop and stood between Chun and the Triad members.

"Mr. Chun or anyone else on this block will no longer be making payments to the Triads," the figure said. Although she couldn't see his face, Korra guessed he was male based upon his body build and his voice.

"And who's gonna make that call, you?" the leader asked. The figure remained silent for a moment before he darted forward and grabbed the firebender by the wrists. Instantly the man screamed in pain as his body convulsed and he fell to the ground. The leader's eyebrow twitched once in surprise before he threw his jacket open and thrust his hand outward. A single spike of ice launched toward the figure at a blinding speed. But the figure easily dodged the spike, grabbing the waterbender's still outstretched arm and giving it a twist. As the man's back arched in pain, the figure used his free hand to grab him by the neck.

Like the firebender, the waterbender screamed and convulsed for a moment before collapsing. With a roar, the hunchback earthbender thrust his fists upward, causing the ground to erupt beneath the hooded man's feet and launch him into the air. Twisting slightly, the man came down driving his fist into the earthbender's face.

Seizing the moment brought on by the earthbender being stunned from the strike, the figure drove his fists into the man's stomach a few times before rubbing both of his hands together and placing them on his chest with his palms facing outward. The already dazed Triad was launched backwards through the air, smashing into and denting the door on the car.

"Hey!" Korra shouted, trying to get the hooded man's attention. In all her life, she had never seen anything like this, and she needed to know his fighting style, or at least his name. The figure turned his head toward her and regarded her. She couldn't see his face, the hood hid that a little too well.

An air raid siren filled the air, which Naga responded to by howling. Both of them looked up to see an airship hovering over the street.

"Republic City Police, nobody move!" came a voice over a PA. The figure looked back at Korra before turning on the balls of his feet and sprinting into a nearby alleyway.

"Hey, get back here!" Korra yelled as she jumped on Naga and chased after him. While the figure expertly dodged and danced about trash cans and other bits of junk lining the alley, the polar bear dog simply barreled through it all. He suddenly turned left, ducking down a side alley and breaking free of Korra's line of sight.

As they approached the corner, Naga suddenly slid to a halt. The hybrid whined and reared back, trying to get away from the corner while at the same time threatening to throw her rider from the saddle.

"Whoa, girl, whats..." Korra started, but she trailed off as her hair stood on end. A bolt of lighting suddenly arced past, blasting a few bricks out of a the corner of a nearby wall.

"Stop following me!" came the shout from around the corner. Korra quickly slid down from the saddle and patted her companion on the side.

"Stay put, girl, I'll handle this," she said. Chasing the guy down to learn more about him was one thing, but having lightning being shot at her made this personal.

"I hate cops, I hate cops, I. Hate. Cops," Alex muttered to himself as he bounded off of a stack of wooden palates and caught the railing on a fire escape. Ever since he had started this whole vigilante thing, he had made it a point to be long gone by the time the airships arrived. The girl with the ridiculously huge dog had gotten in the way of that.

The air sounded with a whoosh as a ball of fire sailed past his head. Alex instinctively ducked before he jumped up on the railing and looked down toward the source. It was the girl who had been chasing him, and she looked pissed.

"What gives? I told you not to follow me!" he shouted.

"You shot lightning at me!" she replied before sending two more blasts at him. Alex yelped as he ducked beneath the fire.

"You're stalking me in the middle of a police chase, it's warranted!" He yelled before he jumped from the fire escape and grabbed a storm drain that ran down the side of the building. Just as he began to swing for the next hand hold, the drain suddenly detached from the wall in a shower of brick.

"Oh shit!" he yelled as he and the pipe tumbled toward the street.

"Where are you running off too, huh? I thought firebenders stood and fought with honor," the girl said as she raised her fists and prepared for a fight. Alex groaned as he shook his head and slowly began to push himself back to his feet.

"Firebender? The hell are you talking about? I'm not a bender," he replied.

"Are too! You used lightning, only firebenders can do that."

"Look, we can we argue about this later? Because I'd really like to get out of here before..." Alex was silenced as cables rapped themselves around the pair. The courier sighed and hung his head in defeat before they were both yanked skyward. Neither one of them could do more then watch the city pass below them as they hung suspended beneath the belly of the airship.

"Well, what happens now?" Korra asked.

"I suppose we could know each others names before we get locked up," Alex replied.

"Korra."

"Nice to meet you, Korra. I'm Alex," he said. Korra's eyes lit up with recognition at the name, but Alex didn't notice.

"Well it's been lovely, Korra, what with the attempted ass kicking and what not. But I'm afraid this is my stop," he said before he gripped the cables as best he could and gave off a decent sized shock. He felt the current pass through the cables, traveling upward to the metalbender controlling them from the airship above.

The cop gave out a scream of pain and surprise as the current passed through him. Instantly, the cables binding Alex went slack, freeing the young man in the process. He quickly gripped one of the cables in order to keep himself from falling to the street far below, clinging tight until a rooftop passed within a safe distance.

Releasing his grip, Alex dropped to the rooftop and landed in a roll. He gave Korra a grin and a short wave before he ran for the fire escape, leaving her to thrash about in her bindings and shout all manner of profanities after him.

* * *

"Let's see, multiple accounts of destruction of property, not to mention obstruction of justice and resisting arrest, you're in a whole mess of trouble young lady," Lin said as she slammed a clipboard down on the table before Korra.

"But there were some guys getting ready to smash up a shop, and then that one guy showed up and started beating them before running off when the police showed up..."

"At which point you should have stood aside and let the police do their job, rather then giving chase yourself!" Lin snapped.

"It's my duty to help people! You see, I'm the Avatar."

"Oh, I'm well aware who you are, and your 'Avatar' title might impress some people, but not me."

"Alright, fine. I want to talk to whoever is in charge."

"You're talking to her. I'm Chief Beifong," Lin said before sitting in the chair opposite Korra.

"Beifong? Lin Beifong? You're Toph's daughter!"

"What of it?"

"Then why are you treating me like a criminal? Your mom and Avatar Aang were friends, they saved the world together!" Korra said in confusion.

"That's ancient history, and it's got squat to do with the trouble you're in right now. You can just stroll in here and dole out vigilante justice like you own the place!"

"Then what about that other guy? He seemed to 'dole out vigilante justice' just fine, and he's still free!" Korra said, her voice and temper on the rise.

"Oh, don't worry. We have a special task force looking for him."

A small metal section in the wall slid back to revel a metalbending officer.

"Chief, we got another one out here," he said.

"Bring 'em in," the Chief said with a hint of irritation in her voice. The cell door slid open to revel another officer leading a handcuffed Kelly. The two friends looked at each other with surprise before Kelly broke into a wide grin.

"Ha! You owe me ten yuan, Korra!"

"Have a seat Ms...Masters," Lin said, taking and opening the new file that was offered to her. Kelly was led around the table, sat down next to Korra and handcuffed to the desk. With that, the other officer marched out of the cell, allowing the door to slide close behind him. Lin paced back and forth before the two, leafing through the new file.

"So I have a pickpocket and a would be vigilante on my hands. What were you two thinking?"

"I was thinking, 'gee, those meat buns smell delicious, but I don't have any money. How do I get money for the meat bun? Oh, I know, that fat guy can spare his wallet'" Kelly said.

"You got a smart mouth on you, kid."

"Well, ask a dumb question, get a smart assed answer." Lin shot Kelly an unamused look as she continued to look through the new file. The bi-speckled girl simply stuck her tongue out at her before she turned her attention back to her friend.

"So how's your day been?" she asked.

"I think I met the guy you've been looking for. There was this guy who said his name was Alex when I got arrested," Korra replied. That caused Kelly to perk up. Unnoticed by either of the teens, the chief of police was listening as well. A skill that she had picked up after years of dealing with the city's seedy underbelly.

"Alex? He's here? You're sure it was him?"

"All I know is that he said his name was Alex. He was wearing a jacket with a hood up over his head so I couldn't really see his face," Korra said. The cell door slid open again, reveling a tall, lanky metalbending officer. Lin didn't turn to the newcomer, but rather continued to read the files.

"Yes, what is it?" she asked, a hint of irritation in her voice. The officer raised his head slightly, allowing light from the cell to land on his face. Kelly gasped in shock and recognition.

"Doctor Tannan?" Lin's head shot up at the mention of the name.

"Tannan?!"

"Hello, Chief Beifong," Tannan said before he raised his hands. The chief of police's armor locked up before she could react, keeping her from making any bending movements to counter him. Tannan walked forward with his hands raised and took the files that Lin had been looking over.

"Ah, the great Avatar herself. The daughter of the legendary Toph Beifong and the Avatar in the same room, ripe for the taking. It must be my lucky day," he said.

"Tannan, what are you going to do?" Kelly asked, nervousness in her voice. Something about the way he moved, the hunger in his eyes, it put her on edge.

"He drains people of their chi! He broke out of a mental ward a week ago after killing six people!" Lin said, struggling to regain control of her armor as Tannan drew closer to her. Kelly looked back and forth between Lin and Korra.

"Is that normal here?"

"NO!"

"Fair enough." With that, she turned her hands in the cuffs so that her palms were facing Tannan. The table vibrated as Tannan was launched backwards through the cell door, yelling out in surprise as he was sprawled across the floor. Instantly Lin regained control of her armor and assumed a bending position.

"Officers, arrest that man at once!" she shouted. Two more metalbenders appeared at the far end of the hallway as Tannan got back to his feet. He looked back and forth between Beifong and her backup, sizing up his opponents.

Throwing his fist forward, the Doctor shot a cable toward the two officers at the end of the hall. They reacted instantly, kicking the cable away and countering with their own. Tannan slapped the cables to the side before ducking under a set that Lin shot at his back. Snapping his own cable like a whip, he shattered a nearby window before ducking under another cable. Retracting his cable back into his armor, Tannan dove out the window and swung away into the city.

Lin and the officers raced forward to the window and watched as he vanished into the city skyline.

"Get an Air Squad down here immediately, find him!" she snapped. The two officers hurried off to carry out her orders, leaving Lin to return her attention to the two teens still handcuffed in the interrogation cell.

"You're not registered as a metalbender, Ms. Masters," she said as she folded her arms. Kelly looked down at her handcuffs, hiding the blush on her cheeks.

"I'm...I'm not a bender." Lin cocked her eyebrow in surprise.

"I find that hard to believe. The way you handled Tannan..."

"I'm afraid it's true, Lin. Ms. Masters does not posses any bending abilities," came a new voice from behind her. Turning, the Chief of Police found herself face to face with Tenzin, who was standing in the doorway.

"Tenzin, hey, we got a little sidetracked on our way to see you," Korra said, guilt in her voice. The Airbending Master regarded the two teens with a disapproving look before returning his attention to the Chief.

"And might I say, you are looking radiant as usual."

"Cut the garbage, Tenzin. Why is the Avatar in Republic City, and what's the deal with her little friend here? If she's not a bender then how did she manage to throw a suspect out of this cell without touching him?" Lin asked.

"Ms. Masters was discovered by the Order of the White Lotus not far from the Southern Compound a few months ago. From what we can tell, her abilities are magnetic based, but we don't know their full extent. As for the Avatar, she will be returning to the South Pole immediately. Where she will stay put," he explained, directing the last part toward Korra.

"But..."

"If you would be so kind as to drop the charges against these two, I will take full responsibility for today's regrettable events and cover all the damages." Lin remained silent for a moment before she sighed and flicked her wrist. Instantly, both pairs of cuffs flew open and the two teens rubbed their wrists.

"Fine, just them out of my city."

"Always a pleasure, Lin. Let's go, you two," Tenzin said as he turned and led the two out of the cell. As she past, Lin placed her hand on Kelly's shoulder.

"I don't approve of your methods, kid. But you got a good head on your shoulders, and you saved my life today. For that, you have my thanks," she said.

"Just did what I thought was right, Chief."

"Well, if you ever find yourself back in Republic City and in need of a job, stop by. You might just have a place on the force." Kelly blinked in surprise, then gave a small smile.

"I might just take you up on that."

* * *

"Son of a bitch!" Alex yelped in pain, dropping the screwdriver he had been holding. He was sitting in the makeshift experiment lab, making some adjustments on a small radio contained within a leather band on his left forearm. The screwdriver slipping out of a screw and jabbing his arm hadn't been apart of the plan.

"You okay?" Asami asked as she walked in, looking at her boyfriend in concern.

"Yeah, just a little disagreement between me and a hand tool," he replied through gritted teeth as he rubbed his arm. He shook his hand out a few times before he picked the screwdriver up and went back to work.

"What are you working on?"

"It's a hand held police scanner. This way I can get a heads up when the Police are alerted to my presence, and an idea on some crime as well."

"You're really taking this vigilante thing seriously, aren't you?"

"I have these lightning abilities and no way to get rid of them, so I might as well put them to good use. You know, Spider Man makes this crap look easy," he said.

"Who's Spider Man?" Asami asked. Alex's eyes went to the middle of his forehead as he tried to think of how to explain a comic book hero.

"I'll tell you later," he said, finally giving up. Asami blinked in confusion before shaking her head and moving on as well.

"So how was it today?" she asked.

"Not so smooth. I stopped this Triple Threat extortion group from beating up a phonograph shop owner, and this Water Tribe girl showed up riding some giant dog thing and started chasing me," he paused when he noticed the look on his girlfriend's face, "It's true."

"What happened?"

"She chased me down an alleyway and tried to challenge me to a duel cause I shot a bolt of lightning at her. And then the cops showed up and arrested both of us, but I slipped out of the cables and escaped," he said.

"So you almost got caught cause of this Water Tribe girl, what was her name?"

"Korra, at least I think that's what she said anyway." Asami picked up a nearby newspaper and looked over the headlines before laying it down in front of him.

"That her?" Alex's eyebrows scrunched up in confusion as he looked at the paper. The front page was dominated by a picture of Korra standing in front of a podium with the headlines 'Avatar Korra arrives in Republic City'. A ringing sound echoed around the room as the screwdriver bounced off of the floor, the hand tool having slipped from his fingers.

"She's...she's the Avatar?"

"It sure looks like that, doesn't it?" Asami said, a smile slowly forming on her lips.

"I'm fucked. No, no I'm so far beyond fucked that the light from fucked won't reach me for a thousand years," he said with horror in his voice.

"Oh, Alex, honey. It's not that bad," she said, patting his back in a comforting manner.

"It's not?"

"No. It's really more like ten thousand years." The Heiress smothered a laugh as Alex's head slammed down onto the desk.

"I knew it, I'm not going to make it to the age of twenty. I'm going to die impaled on a spike of flaming ice and rock of Avatar State induced rage," he muttered into the wood.

"Maybe you're over thinking this. You two might get along if you give it a chance."

"Yeah, maybe you're right."

"Or, maybe she'll trap you in a ball made of all the elements, doomed to rot forever."

"Shut up."

 **And with that, we wrap another chapter. Keep your questions coming guys, feel free to ask about anything you're curious about. You know the drill: drop a review, leave a PM, and I'll see you all in the next one.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys, I'm back with a new chapter. Again, I can't thank you all enough for your support of this story.**

 **Now then, on with the chapter:**

"Come on man, I'll give you money, I'll give you my car, just leave me alone!" the triad mugger yelled as he ran down the alleyway. A bolt of lightning suddenly struck the man in the middle of his back, causing him to scream out before he fell face down. His body twitched uncontrollably as the electricity coursed through his system.

"Enough of this running shit," Alex said as he appeared next to the man, panting heavily from the chase. Reaching down, he gripped the Triad member by the hair and lifted his head up.

"Now that we got that out of the way, you mind telling me what's up with your bosses hiring extra muscle?" he asked.

"Word on the street is that all the major Triads are gearing up for a turf war," the mugger said. He screamed again when Alex gripped his neck and let off a small shock.

"Alright, Alright! The Equalists have been snatching people all week, the bosses are trying to shore up their defenses, now that's all I know!" Grabbing the mugger by the back of his shirt, Alex dragged him to a nearby telephone pole and proceeded to handcuff him to it. With a quick jab, he sent a jolt of electricity into the man, knocking him out.

"There, that should hold your dumb ass until the cops show up," Alex said as looking over his handy work. Using his phone to check the time, the courier cursed under his breath and took off at a run. He was running late, very very late. Maybe, if he was lucky enough and quick enough, he could salvage what was left of this night.

* * *

"You're late," Asami said without looking up from the car engine she was working on. Alex paused for a moment to take in the sight before him. His girlfriend was wearing a white shirt, tan overalls, and was covered with grease. This version of Asami was one that he loved the most. It showed her true self far more then any fancy evening dress could.

"I got dumplings for my dumpling," he replied, holding up a sack and flashing a cheesy grin. The grease stained heiress looked up and smiled. Setting her tools to the side, she gave Alex a quick kiss before taking the bag from him.

"For being completely hopeless, you sure know the way to a girl's heart," she said.

"What can I say? I'm know what the ladies like."

"Uh huh, sure. So, how was your day?" she asked as she pulled out a dumpling and popped the whole thing into her mouth.

"I finally got a proper answer about why the Triads have been muscling up lately. I figured it was cause of a turf war or cause the Avatar is in town. Turns out that the Equalists have been kidnapping Triad Members."

"I thought the Equalists only did protesting," Asami said through a mouthful. Alex simply shrugged.

"Amon decided to take his little revolution to the next level I guess."

"So what are you gonna do now?"

"Now I guess the next thing to do is find out what exactly the Equalists are doing with a bunch of bending street thugs."

"And how do you plan to do that?"

"I don't know. I guess I'll do what I always do and wing it." Asami cocked her eyebrow as she dug for another dumpling.

"You just guess on what you're doing most of the time?"

"Well, it's not like there's a handbook for being a lightning powered vigilante floating around out there." The heiress couldn't help but nod at that kind of logic.

"So what else do you just happen to 'wing it' on?" she asked before biting into another dumpling.

"Dating you, mainly." Asami choked and Alex slapped his hand over his mouth, his eyes wide upon the realization of what he had just said.

"What's that suppose to mean?"

"I've never had a girlfriend before you, alright? I don't know what to expect or what exactly is expected of me," he quickly explained, realizing that he had just wandered into a proverbial minefield. Asami flashed a predatory smile. She loved it when Alex was unsure of himself like this, it made him look cute.

Of course, the fact that his tardiness tonight had almost ruined the plans she had didn't help. Unlike Alex, Asami had a couple of boyfriends under her belt before the dirty blonde, gray eyed teen had stumbled out in front of her moped. She was experienced enough to know what she wanted out of a relationship, but that didn't mean that her relationship with Alex came without its own set of firsts.

The electrical powers wasn't as big of a deal as one might have expected. Her first boyfriend had been a firebender who worked at the city's power plant, so lightning flying from the fingertips wasn't exactly new. But the fact that Alex was from a different world all together was something else. And he was smart, smarter then anyone else that was included in the social group that was the closest thing the heiress had to friends.

There was also the fact that, unlike the others, Alex never once looked at her and saw a dollar sign. He knew just how wealthy she was, and yet he still insisted on spending what little of a paycheck he had in order to treat her like a princess, refusing to let her touch or even see the check whenever they went out to dinner. All in all, Alex saw her for herself, not her money, and acted like a gentleman toward her to the best of his ability at all times.

Casting a glance toward the couch that rested against the far corner, Asami gave a small smile. The night was still young, and they still had plenty of time to do what she had originally planned for that evening. Setting the dumplings to the side, she grabbed him by the front of the jacket.

"Well then, if that's the case, let's see how good you are on 'winging it' in the make out department," she said. Alex couldn't help but grin as he realized his girlfriend's intentions.

"I am at your command, Ms. Sato."

"Shut up and kiss me, lightning rod."

* * *

"Now I know why anime characters turn into bumbling idiots after kissing a hot girl," Alex muttered to himself as he missed a step and almost fell flat on his face. The sky was starting to turn red with the dusk, so he quickened his pace.

His make out session with Asami the night before had gotten extremely intense, so much so that the event hadn't strayed far from his mind all day. The night had ended with them on the couch, Alex shirtless and Asami's overalls undone. Despite wanting to go further, the two of them agreed that they weren't quite ready to take to the next level yet. Although now that they had made it this far, Alex couldn't help but wonder what next time would have in store for them.

Shaking his head to clear it of any thoughts or fantasies involving his current love life, Alex began focusing on his current task at hand. He was currently climbing the long steps of Air Temple Island, seeking the guidance of the one of the city's most revered spiritual leaders on what to do about his developing abilities.

As the only Airbending Master in the world, and by default an expert on things bending and spiritual related, Tenzin seemed to be the best choice on who to consult about this issue. The fact that Air Temple Island was home to the largest collection of books and texts outside of Ba Sing Se university was a bonus.

What if his case wasn't the first one in the history of the world? What if his abilities wasn't a result of the lab accident, but rather some rare anomaly that only occurred once every few generations? What if he wasn't the first one to come to this world? What if there was a way for him to go home? In all, Alex simply didn't know enough to try and come up with some answers. And answers was something he desperately needed right now. As he reached the top of the stairs, another question crossed his mind.

Did he really want to go home?

It was enough to make him stop and stand in place, pondering the question. Back home he had been a self imposed outcast, choosing to be a loner with only a close friend rather then hanging with the popular and social crowd. After high school it all looked like it would go down hill from there. College life, with more of the type of people he found annoying, was what he had to look forward to.

But here, things were different. Things were interesting. Sure, he had these powers, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. Here, he had an amazing girlfriend, a couple of good friends, and a world filled with strange and endless possibilities just at his fingertips. After all of this, did he really want to go back to the way life was before?

"Hey, tough guy, let us help you. Three pairs of eyes is better then one." The sound of the voice snapped Alex back into reality, and made his blood turn to ice. It was a voice he had only hoped to hear again when it was being broadcast over the radio, not in person and this close at that.

Looking toward the scorce of the voice, Alex spotted several large wooden planks all arranged in a circle. Many of them were spinning rather slowly, like a windmill on a lazy day. Next to the planks stood three people, two young women facing him and a young man facing away from him. Just beyond them were two young girls in airbender attire eagerly whispering amongst themselves as they watched the trio. The eldest looked to be about ten years old.

As he looked, Alex realized that he recognized both of the young women standing near the gates. One of them was Avatar Korra, and the other was his long lost friend Kelly. Alex blinked once, then twice, and then rubbed his eyes to insure that they weren't playing tricks on him. Months of searching the city and having people search the world from Omashu to the Fire Nation, and here she was less thirty yards away.

"Kelly?" he asked. The trio turned toward the sound of his voice, and Kelly's eyes widened to the side of dinner plates.

"Alex!" the bi-speckled teen cried with glee before racing forward and tackling her friend in a bear hug. Alex took a half step back from the force of the tackle, but managed to keep them from falling over. He returned the hug in earnest. All of the anxiety he had felt over the past months of not knowing her fate melted into relief and joy and the discovery of her being okay.

"Hey, look out!" came the shout of the guy who they had been talking to. The instincts that Alex had developed from being a courier, street fighter, and vigilante kicked in as he quickly shoved himself and Kelly apart. In the next instant, a small set of gardening tools sailed through the spot where their heads had been, flying past them and out over the cliff side into the harbor. The two friends watched the tools fall before looking back at the others.

"What the hell, Korra?" Kelly asked, sending a death glare toward the Avatar. Korra quickly threw her hands up in surrender.

"Don't blame me, I'm not the walking magnet."

"I didn't do anything magnet wise!"

"Something magnetic happened, it was powerful enough to almost pull my buttons out of my shirt," the guy said, placing both hands on his torso to further his point. Alex held up his hands in a t shape, stopping Kelly from coming up with a retort.

"Okay, time out. Introductions first, then killer gardening tools, deal?" Everyone nodded at that.

"Alex, this is Mako and Korra, guys this is Alex Chambers, my friend I was telling you about," Kelly said, gesturing between everyone. Alex and Mako shook hands, while at the same time they sized each other up. They were about the same height, and Alex was a little more on the broad side then the firebender. Alex was also a couple shades darker then Mako in skin tone, and his buzz cut dirty blonde hair was a far cry from Mako's black hair.

Korra in the meantime was doing her own sizing up of the courier. He seemed familiar to her somehow. Maybe it was his voice, or his posture, or maybe it was the black hoodie he was wearing. It all suddenly clicked, and a fiery rage surged through the Avatar's veins.

"YOU!" she snapped. Her voice was so filled with rage that both Mako and Kelly quickly took several steps away to get out of her path. Even the airbending girls vanished into the bushes to avoid her potential wrath.

"You're that yahoo from the alley my first day here, aren't you?"

"Umm..."

"You and I still have a duel, firebender boy, get yourself ready!" Korra snapped, assuming a bending position. Alex's eyes went wide with horror and he quickly threw up his hands in surrender.

"I told you then and I'm telling you now, I'm not a bender!"

"Bullshit! You shot lightning, I saw you!"

"Korra, KORRA! He's telling the truth! Alex came from the same place I did, he can't bend, it's impossible!" Kelly shouted, throwing herself in between the two.

"Then how can he..."

"Maybe if you'd stand down for five minutes and let him explain you can get an answer!" Everything was tense for a brief few moments as the Avatar refused to back down. Then, finally, she lowered her fists.

"Start talking."

"First things first, what the hell was that with the gardening tools?" Alex asked pointing out over the cliff where said tools had gone. Kelly blushed lightly and looked at her feet.

"After the accident in the lab, I wound up in the Southern Water Tribe. Some White Lotus sentries found me in a snow storm and gave me shelter, which is how I met Korra. Everything was normal at first, but then I found that I could do stuff like this," she said, holding up her hands. A coin levitated in between her palms without any visible force supporting it. After a moment, she let the coin stick to one palm, and then sail across the gap and stick to the other. Alex raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Magnetism?" he guessed. Kelly nodded.

"I barely had any control at first and got mauled by a couple of trash cans, but overtime I learned how to use it. I showed Korra, and then Mako and Bolin. Today was the first time something like that has happened in months," she said, looking down in shame, "I thought I had more control then that." Alex cupped his chin in thought, and an idea suddenly popped into his head.

"It...may not have been entirely your fault," he said. Kelly looked up and gave him a puzzled look, one that was shared by Mako and Korra.

"What do you mean?" Rather then answer, he gestured for Mako to come closer to them.

"Your buttons reacting to anything right now?"

"No, they're just sitting there like they're suppose to."

"And what happens if I do this?" Alex asked before he reached out and took Kelly's hand. Instantly the buttons on the firebender's shirt stretched outward toward the bi-speckled teen. Even Alex felt the various metal objects on his body shift toward his friend. He quickly released his grip, and the pull vanished. Everyone blinked in surprise.

"What the hell?" Mako asked.

"That's what I thought," Alex said.

"What was that?" Kelly asked.

"Korra wasn't lying when she said that she saw me shoot lightning, and you're not the only one who developed new abilities," Alex explained as he held one of his hands up. Arcs of electricity danced between his fingers and over his hand, causing the other three to take a hasty few steps back out of caution.

"Magnets are powered by electricity. The more electricity a magnet has access to, the more powerful it is," he explained before lowering his hand again.

"So you're saying that your powers make Kelly's powers go haywire?" Korra asked.

"More like acts as an amplifier to them, if I had to guess. The only way to find out is to experiment, and from the looks of things that's not something we have time for right now."

"He's right, the sun is going down and we're still no closer to finding Bolin," Mako said.

"Who's Bolin?" Alex asked.

"My brother. He wasn't at our place when I got home from work today and I figured I'd find him here, but as you can see no such luck. We were just getting ready to head into the city to look for him."

"Damnit, that reminds me. We promised Tenzin and Pema we'd look after the kids tonight," Korra said.

"You three head into the city and look for Bolin, I'll stay here and watch the kids," Kelly said.

"But..."

"Korra, I know you're miffed at Alex, but frankly he's better suited to the task then I am. He's been in the city a lot longer, probably knows more places to look, and if what you say is true he'll be handy in a fight if it comes to that. Besides, after almost getting my head taken off by a shovel I'd rather not be anywhere near any metal right now," Kelly said.

"Hey wait a minute, I never agreed to this. I got my own reasons for being here...,"Alex trailed off when Kelly turned and glared at him. Korra raised her hand to argue, but saw the look in her friend's eyes and let out a sigh. Neither one of them were getting out of this.

"Fine. We'll take Naga, she's a great tracker." Mako and Alex shot a glance at each other.

"Who's Naga?"

* * *

"When you said tracker, I should have known this is what you were talking about," Alex muttered. The three of them were riding on Naga's back with Korra upfront, Mako sandwiched in the middle, and Alex on the back.

"Your best friend is a polar bear dog...somehow that makes perfect sense," Mako said.

"I'll take that as a complement, city boy," Korra said proudly. They rode into the wide open square in front of the Central City Station. At the heart of the square stood a statue of Fire Lord Zuko, a gout of flame producing from his raised hand.

"This is Bo's usual hangout," Mako said in puzzlement as the three of them slid from the saddle. The earthbender was nowhere in sight. Instead a few kids were playing around the base of the statue, and Mako led the way toward them.

"You guys seen my brother around here?" he asked. One of the kids, a boy with messy brown hair and faded hat, sniffed.

"Maybe. My memory is a little...fuzzy. Maybe you can clear it up," he said, holding up his hand and wagging his fingers. Alex crossed his arms and raised his eyebrow.

"You saying broken fingers is gonna clear up your amnesia, Skoochy?" he asked.

"Broken fingers means no Bolin, Chambers" the kid replied, not even bothering to look at Alex and wagging his fingers again. The two teens looked at each other before Mako fished into his pocket and pulled out the pink bill of a yuan.

"You're good, kid, a real pro," he said with a hint of irritation.

"Yeah, I seen him. He was preforming some kind of monkey rat circus around noon, and then..." he trailed off and held up his hand again. Mako wasted no time slipping him another bill.

"Then what?"

"Shady Shin showed up in his hot rod and flashed some serious cash. Bolin left with him. Word on the street is that all the Triads are muscling up for something big. Now that's all you're getting out of me," he said before sprinting off.

"What was that all about?" Korra asked.

"Sounds like there's a turf war brewing, and Bolin's about to get caught right in the middle of it," Mako said. Alex however was shaking his head.

"I'm not so sure about that. The Triads have been recruiting more lately true enough, but I don't think it's for a turf war."

"Why, what have you heard?"

"Roamers and whispers, really. But in either case, we'd better find Bolin fast."

"So then where are we going?" Korra asked.

"The Triple Threat Triad Headquarters. It's not far from here," Mako said as the three of them quickly climbed onto Naga's back.

"Triple Threat Triad? Weren't those thugs you beat up on my first day in town with them?" Korra asked as they rode.

"Yeah, that sounds about right," Alex replied, thinking back to that day.

"Why would Bolin be involved with...whoa hey easy Naga!" Korra shouted. The polar bear dog had suddenly changed course to chase after a small red and white creature about the size of a squirrel. The massive hybrid chased the little creature up a street lamp, where the trio got their first good look at it.

"That's Pabu!" Mako said in surprise. Korra quickly yanked back on the reigns, pulling Naga off of the hunt.

"Naga no, Pabu is a friend, not a snack." The fire ferret snaked it's way down the lamp post before sniffing the snout of the polar bear dog. They touched noses for a moment before Pabu hopped onto Naga's head and scampered to Mako's shoulder.

"We'd better hurry," the firebender said, rubbing the ferret's head. They took off again, quickly arriving at the front of a large looking restaurant. Alex crossed his arms as he looked the place over. It blended in well, which was why he hadn't found this place yet during his nightly outings. But there was something off about it, aside from the fact that it was the headquarters of an underground criminal organization.

"Something's not right, there are usually thugs posted outside," Mako said as they slid from the saddle. The firebender moved up to the door in a cautious manner, like he was ready to expect anything. Korra, however, simply strode up to the door, kicked it off it's hinges, and then walked in like she owned the place. Alex walked in behind her, and what he saw made him have electricity crackle along his forearms.

The whole place was ransacked. Tables had been flipped over, food was scattered on the floor, and a few decorations had been messed up. All signs of a decent sized fight that had taken place not that long ago. The sound of a truck engine starting reached the trio's ears. They quickly looked at each other before sprinting through the place to the back door. Korra once again kicked the door open, reveling a truck surrounded by figures in gas masks sitting on motorcycles. Just before the door on the back of the truck closed, they caught a glimpse of the Triad members inside.

One of them was Bolin.

"Bolin!" Mako shouted, drawing the attention of the figures nearby. One of them threw a canister toward the trio.

"Grenade!" Alex cried, shoving his companions aside and throwing out his hand. A bolt of lightning sailed between his fingers and the canister in the blink of an eye. The canister was launched into the air before exploding into a sickly green cloud of smoke. They shielded themselves as bits of partly molten metal rained down around them.

The Equalists wasted no time, using the cover to speed away. Korra quickly brought her fingers to her mouth and whistled.

"Naga come!"

The trio jumped onto the hybrid's back and took off after the Equalists. Mako shot bolts of fire after them, but the Equalists were skilled bikers, easily dodging the blasts by swerving back and forth. Korra quickly lost her patience and thrust both of her fists upward. The ground beneath one of the bikes instantly buckled and launched the vehicle skyward. But the rider kept his calm, easily sticking the landing like the whole thing had been done on purpose.

The chase continued like this until they sped out into the wide open space of a square. Three of the motorcycle riders suddenly slammed on the breaks, spinning their bikes around and throwing bolas at the charging polar bear dog. The hybrid's legs were suddenly bound together, sending her and her riders sprawling to the ground.

Alex groaned as he sat up, and then quickly realized that he was no where near being out of the woods yet. A single Equalist was sprinting towards him before kicking, flipping into the air, and intending to bring his foot down on Alex. The courier quickly brought up both hands and released a bolt of lightning. Instantly the Equalist was launched backwards, his body arcing with electricity before he landed a short distance away.

Hopping to his feet, Alex was suddenly beset by another Equalist. Before he could react, the woman had stuck his arm three times with quick jab like punches. Instantly the arm went dead and dangled useless at his side. The courier watched in surprise and horror as electricity arced all along his dead arm.

He had no control over it now.

The woman came in for another strike, but this time Alex was ready. He lept back, dodging her strikes for all it was worth. Seeing an opening, and hoping for the best, he swung his dead arm around and clothes lined the Equalist with it. A loud pop filled the air as the electric charge passed between his arm and the woman's gas mask. Her legs flew into the air as she was sprawled out on her back.

Alex yelled out in pain, not from the discharge, but from the fact that his arm had collided with some running at full speed. He shook the dead limb about like it was a rag doll, attempting to both wear off the pain and regain some control. On the ground, the woman let out a groan before she shook her head and got back to her feet.

She used Alex's distraction to get in close and land several strikes on his other arm and torso. Instantly he fell onto his back and stared at the night sky, his body completely paralyzed from the neck down. Glancing down at his body, the courier saw electricity now dancing all over his body.

"Oh, son of a..." Electricity exploded outward from his body in all directions in a single large discharge, leaving Alex drained and on the verge of conciseness. He was only vaguely aware of the sound of tires squealing and engines roaring as the Equalists made their escape. As he fought back sleep, he realized he could also hear Korra grunting in frustration.

"I can't bend, I can't bend!" she said, panic growing in her voice.

"Relax, it'll wear off. Those were chi blockers, Amon's henchmen," Mako said.

"Amon? That anti bending guy with the mask?"

"That's him. What do chi blockers want with Bolin?" Mako asked. Alex heard a gasp.

"Oh spirits, Alex!" Korra's concerned face appeared in his line of sight. For the first time since they had met, Alex realized that Korra was showing genuine concern for his well being.

"What's wrong with him? Why isn't he getting back up like we did?" she asked, looking at Mako.

"Discharge...drained...," Alex managed to say. He was tired, so tired. And to go to sleep would be so easy...

"Alex, look at me, what do you need?" Korra asked, snapping her fingers to get his attention.

"Electricity...lot of it..." The Avatar vanished from his line of sight, and for a moment Alex thought that she had left him behind. Then, there was a flash of light and a clap of thunder, and the courier suddenly felt like he had been injected with a million shots of adrenaline.

"Whoa, that's tingly!" he shouted as he shot to his feet. There were so many volts passing through his body, he felt like his teeth were vibrating. Looking around, he realized what had happened. Mako had shot him with a bolt of lightning in order to power him back up.

"Are you okay?" Korra asked.

"Of course I'm okay, never felt better, why do you ask?" Alex felt like a kid on a sugar rush, and had to force himself to remain calm and not talk at a ridiculous speed.

"Because you're kinda on fire," she said, pointing toward his shoulder where the lightning had struck him. Alex looked down and saw his jacket and shirt were smoldering.

"Shit!" he exclaimed before he set to spinning in a circle and beating on his shoulder repeatedly in an effort to put out the embers. Mako watched this for a few moments before he spoke up.

"Well, we lost them. Anyone else have a plan?" he asked.

"Let's split up. I'll get some new clothes and ask around, see where they might have taken Bolin," Alex said as he finished putting out the embers.

"There was an Equalist protester in the park the first day I got here, maybe he knows something," Korra said, patting Naga's snout as the hybrid walked up to her master, having easily freed herself from the bolas that had tripped her up.

"That's good. We'll check out the park, you dig around and see what you can find. We'll meet up at the trolly station over on Kyoshi Drive at noon," Mako said. Together, he and Korra climbed onto Naga's back and rode off into the night. Alex stood there and watched them go for a moment before patting his smoldering jacket again.

"Wait till Asami hears about this."

 **On that note, we end with a cliffhanger. Again, guys keep your questions and comments coming. You know the drill: drop a review, leave a PM, ask a question or two, and I'll see you all in the next one.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys, welcome to part two of The Revelation. As of the publishing of this chapter, Chain Lightning has almost forty faves and sixty follows. Holy crap! That makes this the most popular story I've ever written to date! I can't thank you all enough for your support. Now then, enough of my ramblings, on with the story:**

"What in the name of all that is holy did you do?" Asami asked as Alex walked in. With his scorched clothing and soot covered face, he was a sight to behold.

"You think this is bad, you should have seen the other guy," Alex replied as he began to strip off the burnt articles of clothing.

"You were just going to Air Temple Island for a visit with Councilman Tenzin. What, did they have fire defenses or something?"

"No, but Avatar Korra lives there so that's probably the next best thing." Asami's expression turned to one of horror.

"You got into a fight with the Avatar?"

"No, well not yet, but no. I got recruited into tracking down one of Kelly and Korra's friends that had gone missing," he explained.

"And this led to you getting set on fire how?"

"I sorta needed a quick recharge after getting drained fighting chi blockers, and I got shot with lightning," Alex said, his hand rubbing the back of his head. Asami's expression turned murderous.

"You did WHAT?!"

"Hey, I didn't know that Mako was gonna do that! Hell I didn't even get a say in the matter!"

"Damnit Alex, you know the risks! You know what happens if you overcharge! What if you had..." she paused as her expression turned to one of puzzlement, "wait did you say Mako?"

"Umm...yeah?"

"As in Mako, Captain of the Fire Ferrets, that Mako?"

"I don't know. We were out looking for his brother, Bolin, before I split off to come back here and get some new clothes," Alex said. Asami let out a girlish sequel.

"It IS. You met Mako, I can't believe it!" Alex almost slapped his forehead in realization. His girlfriend was a massive Pro Bending fan, and her all time favorite team was the up and coming Fire Ferrets. The very same team that Mako and Korra played on.

"Asami, as much as I know how exciting this is for you, I gotta get changed and get back out there," Lee said. That seemed to snap the heiress back to reality.

"Oh, yeah, you're right. Just be careful," she said with a hint of worry. Alex smiled and kissed her forehead.

"Always."

"And get me an autograph!"

"Ugh...yes dear."

* * *

Alex spent the remainder of the night combing through any sort of underground contacts he had on what the Equalists were doing. By the time the sun was starting to rise over the eastern mountains, the only things he had come up with was something called 'The Revelation' that was taking place somewhere in the Industrial District near the docks.

The courier sighed in frustration as he stopped by a small street vendor and got himself a tea. He drank the warm liquid with a grimace. Iced tea had always been a preference over hot tea. But it worked in a pinch when coffee was lacking. Knowing that he wasn't going to find anything else, Alex headed to the trolly station.

By the time he arrived, he found Mako and Korra sitting on a bench with a pile of posters at their feet. They both looked tired, and frustrated.

"I'm guessing by your looks that you've had about as much luck as I have," he said as he tossed his cup into a trash can.

"The Equalists are holding something called 'The Revelation' tonight at nine," Mako said, showing him the one of the fliers. Alex looked the flier over. It depicted Amon holding his open hand aloft like he was expecting the viewer to give him a high five.

"All I got was that this little Revelation thing is being held somewhere in the Industrial District, near the docks," he said.

"Which only narrows our search area down to like ten square blocks," Mako sighed.

"Why didn't they put a location on these things?" Korra asked, frustration in her voice.

"Think about it. If you were leading an underground resistance movement to the current government establishment, would you want just anyone off the street wandering in to your little shindig?" Alex asked. Korra couldn't help but shrug at that kind of reasoning.

"Then the information has to be on these fliers somehow," Mako said. Alex nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, but don't over think it. They'd want something that a passerby wouldn't notice, but common person off the street could figure out without too much effort." The firebender turned one of the fliers over and took notice of the image on the back.

"Hey, let me see that," he said, standing and holding his flier next to Alex's. Sure enough, the two images fit together like a puzzle.

"Son of a bitch," Alex said. Mako quickly grabbed up two more fliers, completing the puzzle. Holding the now small map over the station's much more detailed map of the city, Mako searched until he found a match. Sure enough, it was a location not far from the docks in the Industrial District.

"Bingo. That must be where it's going down," Mako said. He glanced back at Korra, who gave him a confident grin. Alex, however, let out a large yawn. He had been up all night and was exhausted.

"I don't know about you two, but I say we get some shut eye before we go charging in there. If last night's little fiasco taught us anything, it's that we'll need to be wide awake and on our toes when facing these guys," he said.

"Alex is right. You two go get some shut eye, I'll go scout this place out. We'll meet there before this thing starts and slip inside," Mako said.

"Get us something that will help us blend in too. I don't know about me, but Mako's a big time pro bending star, and Korra was literally on the front page last week. You go in there like you are now and someone is bound to recognize one of you," Alex said.

"I'll handle that, I got enough, um, sleep in the park," Korra said, her cheeks turning a shade of pink. Alex cocked his eyebrow at her, but left it at that.

"Alright, I'll go get some sleep. We'll meet up there before all this starts."

* * *

A gloomy gray sky hung over the city as Alex quickly made his way toward the meeting point. He had gone back to the mansion, updated Asami on what was going on, taken a very long nap, and then zapped himself by grabbing a pair of clamps attached to a car battery. It wasn't his first choice in getting a quick power boost, but it worked in a pinch.

Korra had done well on finding them some disguises, finding a pair of trench coats for herself and Alex, as well as hats for all three of them. The courier turned his hat over in his hands a few times. It was a dusty old brown Indiana Jones style fedora. He couldn't help but grin a little as he placed the hat on his head.

"What?" Korra asked, noticing his grin.

"Nothing, just wondering when I get my bullwhip," he replied. The Avatar gave him a look of confusion.

"Why would you need a bullwhip?" Alex started to reply, but then realized the futility of trying to explain it to her at this point in time.

"I'll tell you later. Now, let's fix a few things up," he said before reaching out and snatching Mako's scarf from his neck.

"Hey!"

"Simmer down, it's not going very far from you," Alex said before he wrapped it around Korra's neck. This time both of his companions were giving him confused looks.

"Why do I need this?" Korra asked, tugging slightly on the scarf.

"Come on, you two, use your heads. What kind of boyfriend doesn't give his girlfriend his scarf on a cool night like this?" The two benders looked at each other before back at him.

"But we're not dating," Mako said. Alex face palmed.

"We know that, but THEY don't. You two will attract less attention if you head in acting as a couple."

"And what about you?" Korra asked.

"I'll hang back a few minutes and head in by myself. Once we're all inside, we'll find Bolin and get the hell out of here." With that, he sent his two companions on their way. Alex leaned against the corner of the alleyway they had been hiding in, watching as the two made their way to the door. As they walked, Korra took hold of Mako's arm like a girlfriend shivering against the cold. Alex grinned slightly at the sight. She caught on a lot quicker then he gave her credit for.

He watched as they approached a rather large man guarding the door, hand the man a flier, and then slip inside. Tugging his hat down a little further on his head, Alex slid his hands into his coat pockets and started walking toward the bouncer. The man was huge, easily towering over his six foot frame by almost half a foot.

"This is a private event, no one gets in without an invitation," the bouncer said while crossing his arms. Alex looked the guy up and down quickly. In a normal fistfight without his powers, he probably wouldn't stand a chance against this guy. But with his powers, he had no doubt he could wipe the floor with him.

However, he wasn't here to start a fight, just blend in.

Rather then say anything, Alex held up a flier between two fingers, presenting it to the man. The bouncer took the flier, looked it over, and then smiled and stepped to the side.

"The Revelation is upon us, my brother," he said. Alex gave a half smile and tipped the brim of his hat.

"Thank you kindly." The courier walked inside. It didn't take him long to find Korra and Mako standing on a balcony overlooking a rather large warehouse. Machinery lined both sides of the room, while the far end was dominated by a stage and floodlights with Equalist posters. The amount of people, a crowd easily numbering in the hundreds, was cause for him to let out a soft whistle.

"Well, this complicates things," he said.

"I knew a lot of people hated benders, but I've never seen so many in one place. Keep your eyes open for Bolin," Mako said before he led the way into the crowd. They quickly brushed their way toward the front of the crowd, taking care not to cause too much of a disturbance and draw attention to themselves.

"Please welcome, your hero, your savior, AMON!" cried out an unseen announcer as a large panel in the center of the stage slid back, allowing light and smoke to pour out of the floor in a dramatic fashion. A platform raised seven men into view. The first was Amon himself, flanked on his right by the Lieutenant and on his left by a man wearing an outfit similar to Amon's, only lacking a mask. The two of them stood next to four men wearing ordinary Equalist uniforms.

A spotlight shone down on Amon, and the crowd went into a cheering frenzy. The Equalist leader stood silent for a moment, soaking in the cheering. But when he stepped up to the microphone, the whole place went silent. Everyone was eagerly awaiting to hear what he had to say.

"My quest for equality began many years ago. When I was a boy, my family and I lived on a small farm. We weren't rich, and none of us were benders. This made us very easy targets for the firebender who extorted my father. One day, my father confronted this man. But when he did, that firebender took my family from me, and then, he took my face. I've been forced to hide behind a mask ever since," the Equalist leader said, starting his speech.

"Oh man, he is stroking the sympathy card, big time," Alex whispered while crossing his arms. Mako and Korra shared a worried look. None of them were sure where this was going.

"As you know, the Avatar has recently arrived in Republic City," Amon continued. Many in the crowd began to boo at the mention of the Avatar, and Korra pulled the scarf up a little and hunkered down between Mako and Alex a little more. Amon, however, held up his hand for silence.

"My brothers and sisters, I'm here to tell you tonight that the Avatar is not who you think it is. The bending regime that controls this city will have you believe that the Avatar is a teenager from the Southern Water Tribe. But that is a lie, she is no more then a propaganda tool made up by the Council to try and keep control over the city." Korra's composure turned to one of anger. She started to stalk forward, but Alex caught her wrist and held her back.

"'Why would the Council make up such a lie?' you might ask. The answer is because they have no control over the TRUE Avatar. A man who has pledged himself to the cause of equality. Please welcome, Avatar Taun," Amon said, gesturing to his left. The man who had been standing just behind him stepped forward and lowered his hood. Both Alex and Korra's eyes went wide with surprise.

Standing on the stage before them, side by side with Amon, was Doctor Tannan. To demonstrate his abilities, Tannan shot a bolt of fire into the air over the crowd before bending a water whip from a canteen and snapping out any embers floating in the air. The crowd looked on in awe, and Korra's rage melted for a moment.

"How did he..."

"He's faking it. He steals people's chi, and by extension their bending abilities. He's no more the Avatar then I am a fairy princess," Alex hissed. Tannan stepped forward and took the microphone that was offered to him.

"My friends. My name is Taun, and as you have clearly just seen, I am the true Avatar. For thousands of years, benders have held an unnatural advantage over their fellow man, causing imbalance and by extension war and hardships. I have spoken with the Spirits, seeking a way to end the world's hardships. And they have told me that the time has come to put an end to mankind's suffering by removing bending from the equation all together. They led me to this man, to whom I have pledged my life to following. As the True Avatar, I tell you that Amon's cause is Just!" Alex felt Korra tense under his grip, like a cat readying to pounce. He quickly readjusted so that his grip was tighter.

"I know you have been wondering, 'what is The Revelation?' and have probably assumed that Avatar Taun is your answer. You are only half right. In order to bring about this new age of Equality, the Spirits have granted me the power to take away a person's bending. Permanently," Amon said. Korra's eyes went wide with surprise, and many people in the crowd around them gasped as well.

"That's impossible, there's no way," Korra said.

"This guy's insane," Mako added. Alex, however cocked his eyebrow at his two companions.

"You two failed in history class, didn't you? Taking away a person's bending? That's the trick Avatar Aang used to end the Hundred Year War," he said. This earned him a surprised look from Korra and Mako.

"What? I so I did research to try and find out what causes me to shoot lightning, sue me."

"And now for a demonstration. Please welcome Lightning Bolt Zolt, leader of the Triple Threat Triad, and one of the most notorious criminals in Republic City," Amon said as some foot soldiers led Zolt and four other Triad members out onto the stage. The crowd began to boo Zolt, who despite being tied up was still standing tall and proud.

"Ah, boo yourselves!" the Triad leader shouted.

"There's Bolin," Korra said, nodding toward a very scared looking teen at the end of the line up. She started to move forward again, but this time both Alex and Mako held her back.

"Wait, we can't fight them all, we need to be smart about this," Mako said.

"You got a way of sneaking one guy out from the view of hundreds of eyeballs without being seen, I'm all ears," Alex said.

"Zolt has amassed a fortune by extorting and abusing non benders. But his reign of terror is about to come to an end! Now, in the interest of fairness, I will give Zolt the chance to fight and keep his bending," Amon said. With that, The Lieutenant cut Zolt's bindings while Tannan raised his hood back over his head and stepped back as well.

"You're gonna regret doing that, pal!" Zolt shouted before he began to shoot fireballs at the Equalist leader. But Amon easily danced around the blasts, closing the distance between the two. In an instant, Zolt threw out his hand and shot a massive bolt of lightning forward. But by now, Amon was well within touching distance. He grabbed Zolt's extended wrist and turned the man around before forcing him to his knees.

Deadly arcs of electricity danced about all over the stage, and Alex found himself staring with his jaw slightly agape. That kind of power was...tempting. Like a cool drink of water to a man in a desert. The courier quickly blinked and shook his head.

"I have a serious problem." They watched as Amon brought his thumb down on Zolt's forehead. The arcs of lightning flying from the man's fingertips turned into a massive gout of flame before sputtering out completely. After a moment, Amon released his grip and allowed Zolt to fall forward on his face. Groaning, the Triad leader sat up and threw his fist at Amon. But nothing happened.

"What...what did you do to me?"

"Your firebending is gone, forever!" Amon declared before he turned to the crowd, "The Era of Bending is over, a new Era of Equality has begun!" As the foot soldiers began to untie more Triad members and force them to face Amon, both Korra and Alex turned back to Mako.

"If we're going to do something, we'd better do it now," Alex said.

"I know, I know," Mako replied.

"So then does that mean you have a plan, Team Captain?" Korra asked.

"Well..."

"Oh my God, you don't have a plan, do you?" Alex asked.

"I do too! You see those machines? They're powered by water and steam, if you can create some cover I'll be able to grab Bolin without being seen, then we can duck out of here," Mako said, nodding toward a large set of metal pipes protruding from the far wall.

"And what about him?" Korra asked, tilting her head toward Alex. The courier bit his lip in order to keep from coming up with a retort.

"He goes with you. If anyone catches you, he can provide backup."

"I don't need backup, Mako."

"This place is crawling with Equalists, Mr. Hockey Mask is going through the Triads faster then a fat guy with chocolate cake, and said masked man's number two guy is a God damn chi vampire, so save arguing with your boyfriend for later and let's go," Alex said.

"He's not my boyfriend."

"Today's headline: 'No One Gives a Damn'." Korra sighed in frustration before wishing Mako luck and slipping away into the crowd with Alex hot on her heals. The two quickly made their way into a side hallway filled with gauges, valves and pipes. Korra quickly grabbed the nearest wheel and gave it a quick spin. Instantly a jet of steam began to shoot into the air.

"That's not enough," she muttered before she began to turn another valve.

"Exactly how much is enough?" Alex asked as he began to spin a valve of his own. The hallway was slowly beginning to fill with steam.

"Hey, you two," It was the bouncer from the front door.

"Is there a problem, my brother?" Korra asked.

"What are you doing back here? This area is off limbs."

"Well, actually we're here to pick up an order. Two large pepperonis and a calzone, the name's 'fuck you'," Alex said, stepping forward slightly. The bouncer's face turned sour as he drew a wrench from his back pocket. He gave the tool a quick twirl before he swung at full force, fully intending to take the courier's head off.

Alex quickly ducked, allowing the wrench to sail overhead and rebound off of a pipe. As the bouncer drew the wrench over his head, Korra quickly caught the tool's teeth with Mako's scarf. With a quick yank, the tool was torn free from his grip. Rubbing his hands together quickly, Alex placed both of them on the man's back before he could react.

"Clear!" A sharp crack filled the air as Alex let off a pulse of electricity, launching the bouncer forward through a large set of pipes. Steam instantly flooded the hallway from the damaged machine, causing Korra to smile.

"Thanks, this is plenty," she said before she began to twist her arms around. The steam reacted to her movements, coiling around her like a ghostly white snake. After a moment, she thrust her palm forward, and the steam violently exploded outward from the machines into the main room. Panicked screams filled the air as steam flooded the main room.

"We need to get out of here," Alex said, moving away from the cloud of whiteness to the best of his ability.

"Why? Let's go find that faker of an Avatar and show him what a true Avatar can do," Korra said, slamming her fist into her palm.

"Korra there is a lot of steam in the air right now, and to be honest, I have no idea how well steam conducts electricity."

"You're saying you'd let him go?"

"I'm saying I don't want to throw a bolt and electrocute everyone in the building! Now we came here for a reason, let's do it and get out of here like we planned!" Alex snapped. Together, the two of them took off for an exit. Kicking open a door to an alleyway, Alex spotted Bolin and Mako laying on the ground, being stood over by The Lieutenant. Gritting his teeth, the courier charged forward with a yell.

The Lieutenant twisted around, dodging Alex and applying both of his Kali sticks to his back. He yelled out and sank to his knees as the electric current from the sticks flowed into his body.

"You benders need to understand, there's no place for you in the world anymore," The Lieutenant said. He fell silent when he noticed Alex was laughing. To his amazement, the courier actually stood back up and faced him again.

"Please sir, may I have another?" Alex asked, faking a cockney accent and supporting a large grin. The Lieutenant was dumbstruck. No one had ever been able to stand up to the power of his sticks before.

"How did..." he never finished as a slab of earth suddenly erupted under his feet and launched him into a wall.

"I wouldn't count us out just yet," Korra said before she whistled. Alex wasted no time in grabbing one of the sticks The Lieutenant had dropped before he jumped onto Naga's back behind Mako and Korra. Bolin, however, was grabbed up in the hybrid's mouth and dragged as they galloped away.

"I want...to be..on...your back," Bolin said in vain.

"It's the False Avatar!" The Lieutenant shouted pointing after them as several chi blockers began to give chase.

"Let them go!" Amon ordered as he appeared on a balcony overhead, "she's the perfect messenger to tell the city of my power."

* * *

The ride back to the Pro Bending Arena was silent, or as silent as it could be with Bolin constantly begging to be released from Naga's mouth. When they finally arrived, the massive hybrid let the saliva soaked earthbender fall to the ground like a used chew toy.

"Oh, I need a serious bath," Bolin said before he shuffled off to their apartment. The trio watched him go before dismounting from Naga.

"Hey guys, thanks for helping me find Bolin," Mako said. He and Korra had ditched their disguises a long time ago, but Alex kept the hat and jacket. It was a decent replacement for his burnt up hoodie.

"No problem, man, that's what friends are for," Alex said.

"You consider us friends? You've barely known us for a full day," Korra said. The courier shrugged.

"Kelly is my oldest friend, and she's somehow manged to befriend you so perhaps there is hope for us. What do you say, Avatar Korra? Friends?" Alex asked as he held out his hand. Korra looked at his hand for a moment. Sure, the guy infuriated her to no end. But he had also proven himself to be more then useful over the past twenty four hours. Useful, and loyal. And his brand of humor was one she could get use too.

"Friends," she said taking his hand and shaking it.

"I'm gonna turn in, thanks again," Mako said before turning away and waving over his shoulder. The two waved after him before standing in awkward silence for a moment.

"You wanna catch the ferry back to Air Temple Island with me? I know you were there to meet Tenzin before we dragged you into this," Korra said. Alex looked past her toward the Island. The temple's main tower rose like a spire of light out of the dark sea.

"Not tonight. I've had too much fun for that. I think I'll take Mako's lead and turn in. Say hi to Kelly for me," Alex said, bidding farewell to the Avatar. As he started toward the Sato Mansion, Alex drew the baton he had stolen from The Lieutenant. It was made of metal to conduct electricity, but the handle was rubberized so as to not electrocute the user.

With a little tinkering, and a few modifications, he could make this an excellent weapon for fighting with his powers. And after everything he had seen tonight: Amon, the Equalists' rising power, Tannan, he had a feeling he was going to need it.

 **And done. I hid a few Fallout 4 references in this chapter. If you spotted it, or think you spotted it, congrats! You get a cookie. You guys know the drill, drop a review, a PM, say what you liked or didn't like, ask a question, and I'll see you all next time!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys, I'm back with a new chapter! I'd like to start off by saying congrats to Anzac-A1 for guessing the fallout reference in the last chapter.**

 **Anzac, you get a cookie.**

 **And now, on with the chapter.**

"What are you doing?" Asami asked as she walked into the garage carrying a few boxes of takeout. Alex was currently sitting at a small table with a pair of magnifying goggles on over his eyes. A tiny screwdriver was in his hand as he tinkered with a metal cylinder with gears and a crank lever sticking out of it.

"I am working on an idea I've had for a while," he replied as he screwed another gear into place. Asami frowned as she watched her boyfriend tinker for a moment before she sat the food down.

"Most of the things you've put together fall apart on the first try," she said. Alex frowned, but didn't look away from his work.

"They do not," he said, holding up the handmade police scanner strapped to his forearm as proof. At that moment, a metal band holding the cylinder to a wooden frame sprung loose, slapping the teen across the wrist with a loud snap. Alex instantly yelped and sprung up from his seat, shaking his hand about in a flailing manner.

"WHY DO THESE OBJECTS KEEP MOVING?!" he cried at the top of his lungs. Asami couldn't help but laugh at her boyfriend's bad luck. This earned her a glare.

"What's so funny?"

"The fact that the universe seems to want to prove me right."

"Oh just...bite me, alright?" With that, he proceeded to return the metal band to its proper place and secured it.

"So seriously, what is it?" Asami asked as she began to unpack the food.

"Well, if everything goes right, it will be a prototype directed energy weapon," he said. "A prototype do what now?" Alex gave his girlfriend a strange look. "Oh yeah, that's right. This world has somehow managed to go without developing guns. It's a weapon that when pointed and pulled the trigger, a bolt of electricity is fired at your target," he explained.

"Why would you need something like that?"

"It's not for me to use. Its for you." Asami blinked.

"Say what now?"

"Asami, I saw the way the Equalists fight. You're going to need this." "But I'm a non bender, they don't have a problem with me." "So am I, but that didn't stop Commander Fu Man Chu from zapping me with his sticks. Look, it'll make me feel a whole lot better if you have a way to defend yourself at a distance," Alex explained. Asami could easily see the worry in her boyfriend's eyes. He hadn't been the same since The Revelation, being more cautious and paranoid then usual.

"It's not just about the Equalists, is it?" she asked. Alex had given her the rundown about the situation with Tannan, but had left out some details in an effort to keep from frightening her.

"Tannan's powers work through physical contact. This will make sure that you don't have to worry about him being able to touch you," he replied. Asami hugged Alex and held him as close as she could. She was worried about the growing Equalist threat, but she was more worried about possibly losing him. By actively fighting against them, Alex was a known enemy of the Equalists now, non bender or not.

"Now enough about this depressing topic. Isn't that gala for Korra tonight?" he asked. Asami blinked in surprise at the sudden change in topic, but quickly welcomed it.

"Yeah, all of Republic City's big names are suppose to be there, did you want to go?" she asked. Alex couldn't help but chuckle at that. "No, getting electrocuted in a fountain once was enough for me," he replied, thinking back to the last gala he had been to.

"Oh well, your loss. I really think you would have liked the dress I had picked out for tonight," Asami said as she picked up a box of noodles and walked out of the door with a small strut. Alex watched her go while holding his screwdriver in place.

"Jesus help me, that woman is a tease," he muttered to himself. As if the universe wanted to respond, another strap came loose and slapped his hand, causing the courier to yelp in pain again.

 _One week later._

Alex walked up Air Temple Island's long stairs with his guard up. He was wearing the hat and trench coat disguise that Korra had found for him during The Revelation. Although he and Korra had called a truce, it was better to be cautious then caught off guard. To his surprise, and relief, he was greeted not by the hotheaded Avatar, but rather one of the Air Acolytes.

"Hello, may I help you?" the woman asked.

"Yes, I'm looking for Master Tenzin, can you tell me where I might find him?" Alex replied, making his voice as polite and humble as possible.

"I believe he's in the main study at the moment. Would you like me to take you to him?"

"That would be most kind of you." The acolyte turned and led Alex into the Temple. It reminded him of the Tibetan monasteries he had seen in pictures back home. After a short walk, they arrived in a small study. The Airbending Master was sitting in a small chair in the corner with a pair of reading glasses on as he flipped through the pages of a small leather bound book.

"Master Tenzin, there's a young man here to see you," the acolyte said. Tenzin looked up from his book and removed his glasses.

"Ah, yes. You must be Mr. Chambers, I've heard a lot about you from Korra and Kelly," Tenzin said.

"Nothing too bad, I hope," Alex replied as the two bowed respectfully to each other. "Please have a seat. Ms. Masters thinks the world of you, but Korra seems to view you as the embodiment of annoyance in her life." Alex rubbed the back of his head with a hint of nervousness as he took off his hat and sat across from Tenzin. He had hoped that his actions during The Revelation would change Korra's opinion of him. Apparently he was wrong.

"So, Mr. Chambers, what can I do for you today?" Tenzin asked, bringing him out of his thoughts. "Seeing as you're one of the best spiritual leaders in the city, and an expert on bending, I was hoping that you could tell me more about this," Alex replied as he raised his hand and let electricity dance between his fingers and over his skin. Tenzin looked on in awe at the display.

"Amazing. I heard Korra's description but I must admit I found it a little far fetched. I've never see or heard of a firebender who had such control over lightning, not even the Avatar has that kind of control." "The thing is, sir, I'm not a bender," Alex said somewhat sheepishly.

"But, that's not possible."

"It's true. I didn't start having these abilities until about five months ago," he said. Tenzin cupped his chin in thought.

"Five months, you say? That's about the same time that Kelly started to develop her magnetism. We thought that she was an earthbender, but, like you, she's a non bender. It would appear that you and her have developed these abilities because of the same event."

"Yes, sir. We've figured that part out. What I came to find out is if there has been anything else like this throughout history? Have any others somehow arrived here in a manner similar to the way we did?" Alex asked. Tenzin was silent for a long time as he pondered the question.

"I can't think of any particular incident or individual, but a few possibilities do come to mind. I will have to do some research into this," he said. At that moment, the phone sitting on a small table next to the Councilman rang. Tenzin picked up the candlestick style phone and held the earpiece to his ear.

"Councilman Tenzin here. She what?! When? Which dock? Alright, I'll be there as soon as I can," he said before hanging up. The questioning look on Alex's face didn't escape his notice.

"Korra openly challenged Amon to a one on one duel this evening on Aang Memorial Island," he explained.

"What?!" Alex exclaimed, springing to his feet. Tenzin was standing now as well.

"I'm going to meet her and try to talk her out of this."

"Drop me off at Aang Memorial Island on the way. If you can't talk her out of it, I'll be there to provide back up."

"Mr. Chambers, I can't ask you to put yourself in harm's way like that," Tenzin said. "Councilman, with all due respect, neither one of us are asking. I've seen what Amon has in his arsenal. Trust me, you want me backing her up," he replied as he returned his hat to his head.

* * *

Korra stood at the base of Avatar Aang's statue, looking out toward the glowing city skyline as she waited. Her stance, at first glance, was proud and strong. But after a half hour of watching from the shadows, Alex could easily see that she was a nervous wreck. She jumped at every little noise, every little movement. The clock below Korra's feet began to chime midnight, making her jump yet again. She quickly regained her composure and studied the shadows around her for Amon. Seeing no one, and completely missing Alex, Korra smirked and relaxed.

"Guess you're a no show Amon, who's the false coward now?" she asked, mainly in the direction of the city before jumping down from her perch.

"Wow, you have got some serious ego issues," Alex said, speaking up for the first time. Korra jumped and assumed a bending stance. He simply stepped forward out of the shadows, letting her see who spoke. Korra let out a breath and placed a hand on her chest.

"Alex, what are you doing here? You gave me a heart attack."

"I'm keeping an eye on you, since no one else with the police or Tarrlok's Task Force seems to be able to."

"I don't need anyone backing me up. I need to do this on my own."

"That's a crock of shit and you know it. Amon alone is enough to have some kind of support at the ready. With Tannan backing him up that only doubles the need for back up."

"I'm not afraid of Amon or that lair Tannan!" Korra snapped.

"You're not in front of the press anymore, sugar tits, you can drop the act. I don't know what Amon's game is, but Tannan is a chi vampire. He may be a lair, but he can and will take your power if he gets the chance! If you're not afraid, you are a fool," Alex replied. Korra's eyes flared with anger, and for a moment it looked as though she might blast him with her bending. But Alex taking off his hat made her pause.

"Korra, I want you to understand, I'm not saying this to take a shot at you or anger you, or even comment on your anatomy. I'm saying because I view you as a friend and believe it or not I do care about you. Tannan and Amon are dangerous, and going off after them half cocked like this is a good way to get yourself killed." Korra clenched her fists and let out a yell of frustration.

"I'm just so tired of people always expecting things from me! They're expecting me to face Amon like Aang faced the Fire Lord. Do you have any idea what's like when people look at you and all they can see is how you're being like him?" she asked, throwing a gesture upward toward the statue towering over them. Alex looked up at the illuminated statue before he placed his fedora back on his head.

"I don't know much of anything, considering I'm just a guy who can shoot lightning from his fingers and occasionally eyeballs. But what I do know is this; Tarrlok, Amon, their opinions about you don't mean squat because at the end of the day you're the Avatar and they're not," he said. Korra mulled over his words for a moment. Her urge to prove that she wasn't afraid, when she really was, had blinded her common sense and now she could see that.

"You're right. At the end of the day I am the Avatar, and they've just got to deal with it...wait, did you say lightning out of your eyeballs?"

"It was an experiment, it burned like a motherfucker, and no I will not being doing it again," Alex said with a shutter. Korra simply cocked her eyebrow in confusion.

"Okay...so I guess Amon is a no show, huh?"

"Oh no, he's here," Alex said causally, as if he was giving the time of day.

"How do you know?"

"You issued a challenge to him publicly over live radio. Amon is a showman, there's no way he'd turn down an invitation like this. It'd hurt his image."

"So then where is he?"

"Probably waiting in ambush with about twenty foot soldiers ready to pounce on you at a moment's notice."

"That's not what was in the challenge."

"The Avatar has a reputation for leveling mountain ranges and throwing whole islands at their opponents. Do you seriously believe he'd try to fight you on your terms, on your ground?" Alex deadpanned.

"So what should I do?" Korra asked. "Way I see it you got three options: option one, you can leave the island and claim that Amon never showed for your duel, which he technically hasn't, thereby painting him as a coward in front of the city. Option two; you can wander around the island with your guard only half raised like an idiot until he decides to spring his trap," Alex said, raising his fingers as he listed off the options.

"And option three?"

"You can have a little patience and let me tell you exactly where they are. Then decide what you want to do about them."

"Option three. I want to knock that masked punk around if he thinks he can ambush me," Korra said, slamming her fist into her palm for effect. Alex simply rolled his eyes before peeling off one his fingerless gloves, kneeling, and placing his hand palm down on the concrete between them and closing his eyes.

"What are you doing?"

"The island is laced with power lines, which I can trace. If any Equalists are standing near a power line, I'll be able to detect their body's natural electrical signals. Think of it like an earthbender using seismic sense, only with electricity instead of rock," he explained.

"Whoa, you can pick up on a person's nervous system?"

"Yeah, but it's a lot harder to do then conventional power. Which is why I need to concentrate," he said, effectively telling her to shut up. For once in their bumpy relationship, Korra took the hint and fell silent. Alex relaxed his body and breathed deep. Even with his eyes closed, he could see the outline of all the wires carrying power in the structure around him. After a minute of concentrating, he noticed a new outline in the museum below them. It was a person, leaning against a wall as they looked toward the door in anticipation. Focusing on the person's bio signal, he watched as his sense spread across the room, moving from person to person until the entire room was covered.

"They're in the museum directly below us. About ten or so of them, if you go out the back way you won't have to confront them," he said, opening his eyes. He could easily see the conflict raging inside the young woman. Part of her wanted to go down and confront the waiting threat, and part of her wanted to turn tail and run.

"I...I don't..."

"Look, ten guys is a lot of for someone to take on, even the Avatar. If I were you, I'd call it a night and go home," Alex said.

"But what about you?"

"What about me? I'm technically a non bender. They don't have a fight with me." Korra continued to look confused. But after a moment, she finally relented.

"Just do me a favor. When you get home, sit down and talk this out with someone. I don't care if it's Kelly or Tenzin or some Acolyte orphan off the street, just do it," Alex said as she started to walk away.

"I will. I promise," she replied before disappearing into the shadows. Alex watched her go for a moment before looking down at the space between his feet. Ten feet below him stood ten Equalists, plus Amon himself. Maybe, if he acted quickly, he could bring them down before they knew what hit them. Sticking his hands in his coat pockets, Alex walked down the stairs and toward the dark entrance of the museum. He walked as if he didn't have a care in the world, and even whistled a soft tune as he went. The only question that remained was if the Equalists would take the bait. Alex didn't have to wait long to get his answer when he felt a rope wrap around his ankles mid step, sending him sprawling. Before he could react, he was being dragged into the dark museum entrance. He quickly snapped the bola and sprang back to his feet before allowing large arcs of electricity to dance about on his arms from the elbow on down. The light given off by the arcs was enough to tell him that he was completely surrounded by Equalists.

"That's not the False Avatar!" Amon yelled.

"Surprise!" Alex cried as he threw his arms outward. A wave of electricity flew from his arms and chest, smashing into the wall of Equalists like a bowling ball to the pins. "Hey, Doc? I don't suppose you want to go all stereotypical bad guy and start spilling out your plans like I'm a therapist, do you?"

"Seize him!" The courier gave a small grin as he reached into his coat and drew the baton he had taken from The Lieutenant. He had stripped the rubber handle off and replaced it with a cross guard in order to protect his hand. On the tip of the road, two prods had been placed with electric arcs now dancing back and forth between the two, showing the power surging through the weapon. The first Equalist that got within each was met with a tap from the rod. Instantly the room was filled with a short, sharp crack before he was launched backwards into three of his comrades. Alex turned and repeated the move twice more before the foot soldiers realized that they couldn't get within reach without getting hurt.

"I'll take that as a no. Oh well, until next time, doc!" Alex shouted before zapping the closest Equalist, dashing through the hole in the line and bolting from the museum. None of the Equalists moved to follow him, choosing instead to focus on helping their wounded.

"I thought you said he wouldn't be a problem," Amon said as he looked over the carnage with his hands clasped behind his back.

"He hasn't been up until now. Our man has been keeping regular tabs on him, and by all appearances Mr. Chambers is just a normal teenager," the Lieutenant said.

"That 'normal teenager', Lieutenant, just did this," Amon replied as he gestured over the remnants of the museum.

"Let me go after him. If Hiroshi truly is on our side..." Tannan started.

"No, you will get your chance after the Pro Bending Finals. Until then, I want us to lay low. To much attention now could ruin our plans. Collect the wounded and fall back, I suspect the police will be here soon."

 **And that's a wrap. Next time, we get to see how all that lovey crap in 'The Spirit of Competition' plays out with Alex on board.**

 **Now, I have an announcement to make. Don't worry, I'm not going missing for the next few months or anything like that. I'm just informing you that I have put together a soundtrack for Chain Lightning. Call me crazy for doing it, but I figured I'd share the songs that I listen to while writing this story:**

 **1\. Chain Lightnin' by .38 Special.**

 **2\. Renegades by X Ambassadors.**

 **3\. Hero by Skillet, Alex's main theme.**

 **4\. Monster by Skillet, Tannan's main theme.**

 **5\. Awake and Alive by Skillet.**

 **6\. Footsteps by Pop Evil, Alex's search for Kelly and overall struggle.**

 **7\. Born to Rise by Redlight King, fight and action theme.**

 **8\. Can't Hold Us by Macklemore, fight and action theme.**

 **9\. Light Em Up by Fall Out Boy, fight and action theme.**

 **10\. Come With Me Now by Kongos, overall theme.**

 **Now, what you all do with this is up to you. You can listen to it while reading, you can skip over everything I just put down, you can make up your own. We live in a free world and you can decide what you want to do with it.**

 **Anyway, if you liked or didn't like something about this chapter, or even had your own idea for a song to add to the soundtrack, y'all know the drill by now: drop a review, leave a PM and I'll catch you all next time!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey guys, I'm back with a new chapter. Wow, Chapter Ten, a milestone. We reached seventy follows, and I'm still just blown away. I can't thank you guys enough for your support. Now, I know this chapter is a little short, but hopefully you'll find it's content intriguing...**

A light snow fell upon the single mannequin. It was a quiet day for the first snowfall of the year, and the Sato Mansion, like the mannequin which currently sat in a small garden, was slowly turning white. Suddenly, the stillness of the day was disrupted by a sharp crack and a bolt of electricity. The mannequin toppled over, the center of its chest blackened and smoldering.

"Nice shot!" Alex praised as he looked over the results. Asami grinned at the complement as she lowered the prototype lightning gun. Despite her initial doubts, she had to admit that Alex had out done himself with the new weapon.

"Energy output looks good, damage is non lethal until after three cranks, rate of fire...still painfully slow," Alex said as he took notes.

"It's still awesome," Asami said as she spun the crank on the rifle. Alex rolled his eyes as he finished scribbling in his notebook.

"I don't know whether to be thrilled or horrified that my girlfriend is a weapons nut," he said.

"I'm not a weapons nut, just an enthusiast for gadgets and what not," she replied before leveling the gun and firing a bolt at the mannequin again, causing it to burst into flames. Alex opened his mouth and then closed it again before taking the gun from Asami.

"Yeah, I'd say that's enough for today," he said. Asami gave him a pouting look, sticking out her bottom lip and batting her eyes.

"Asami, seriously I've got to go Air Temple Island for a research session with Tenzin. That means weapons testing is done for the day," he said, finding it hard to resist the look she was giving. The heiress sighed in defeat.

"Alright. But you're totally going with me to the Pro Bending Tournament tonight."

"Oh yeah that's right, your dad decided to fund the Fire Ferrets. How did you convince him to do that anyway?"

"Dad's always been a sucker for pour people in need, and it's good advertisement for Future Industries," she said. Alex rolled his eyes before handing the prototype back to her.

"And there's the truth of the matter. Look I gotta get going, try not to drop this please? I finally got the gears to turn just right," he said before giving her a peck on the cheek and jogging out of the garden. Asami watched him go before lifting the prototype and spinning the crank.

"Don't worry, I'll take good care of it," she said with a wide grin before zapping the mannequin again.

 _Republic City Airship Docks_

Alex strode up to the metal hull of the _Kumano_ like he owned the ship. The airship had just returned from its usual run between Republic City and Omashu, and most of the crew was currently working to secure the craft to the ground.

"June!" he called, gaining the attention of one of the crew hanging from the airship's side.

"Ah, Alex. Come to quit being a glorified mailman and do some real delivery work?" June called down before lowering herself to the dock and detaching herself from the harness. She was wearing her usual attire, with the addition of a leather aviator jacket to protect against the cold air.

"No, actually. I came to tell you that your services are no longer required," he said.

"You found your little girlfriend? What was her name? Kiki? Kyoshi?"

"Kelly. And she's not my girlfriend."

"Well that's good news. Glad to hear it, now if you'll excuse me I've got an airship to secure," she said as she started to walk away.

"There's something else, what do you know about the Equalists?" Alex asked. June stopped and turned back toward him, frowning at the mention of the radicals.

"They've been making waves with their actions lately. We heard roamers about them down in Omashu. Personally I think the whole bending removal thing is a load of crap, but a lot of people seem to believe it."

"Believe it, June. Amon's the real deal, I saw it with my own eyes."

"That's...that's not good, Alex," June said, concern filling her face.

"I know it's not. Which leads me to my next question; how long is the _Kumano_ in port?"

"A couple of months. Our route shuts down during the winter cause the temperatures in the mountains are too cold to fly in. Why?"

"By the time all is said and done, I have the feeling I'm gonna need an airship and a crew. Provided you're willing to help," he said. June gave him a hard look and placed her hands on her hips.

"Name it."

 _Air Temple Island_

Korra, Kelly, Jinora, and Ikki ignored the light snowfall as they filled the flying lemur cages with fruit. The young airbenders were dressed in heavy robes, while Korra and Kelly wore Water Tribe parkas.

"Hey Kelly, you mind if I ask you a question?" Korra asked.

"You just did, and if you're feeling lucky you might get away with another," Kelly replied as she let a young lemur pick a peach out of her hand.

"What was Alex like before you guys came here?" Kelly cocked her eyebrow at her friend.

"We are talking about the same Alex whom you've attempted to kill at least two times since you've met him right? Why the sudden interest?"

"Because he's so mysterious," Jinora said.

"Always wearing that hat and jacket, and being a hero to top it off, its no wonder Korra likes him," Ikki added. Korra's face turned beat red while Kelly's eyebrow continued to remain arched.

"I don't like him like that, I just want to know more about him is all," Korra said a little to quickly. Kelly continued to give her friend a look, seeing right through the ploy.

"Alex has always been something of a loner. He's not really the boyfriend type," Kelly said pointedly.

"I'm not interested in him, Kelly."

"And I'm not a walking magnet. You like him, don't you?" she asked. Korra sighed in defeat.

"I...I'm not sure. I mean I thought I liked Mako. But after what happened at The Revelation and on Aang Memorial Island, I started to see Alex in a different light," she explained, rubbing the back of her neck in the process. Kelly sighed before she placed her hand on Korra's shoulder.

"I know what you're going through right now. Take it from me it's not an easy thing choosing between two guys that really appeal to you."

"So what do I do?"

"Well, what I did was I stepped back and looked at what each guy had to offer, and what appealed to me more before making my choice."

"That's why I'm asking about him. I know almost nothing about Alex," Korra said.

"I have to admit, I'm curious about Alex too," Jinora said.

"Yes! Tell us all about the mysterious romantic!" Ikki added. Kelly rolled her eyes as she poured a bowl of apples into another cage.

"Alright fine. What do you want to know?" she asked.

"What was he like before he got his powers?"

"Pretty much the same as he is now. Alex has always been the type to try and help others in need. He was always getting into fights with the bullies at school, seems like every other week he was getting suspended."

"Wow," the two young airbenders swooned.

"He sounds...heroic," Korra said, more to herself then anyone else. Kelly simply rolled her eyes.

"Please. He may have always tried to help, but the main reason he got into fights all the time was his mouth. Alex knows how to press someone's buttons until they're seeing red like a bull," she said, "Korra, trust me. Alex is not the type of guy you want as a boyfriend. Best friend, maybe, but definitely not boyfriend."

A short distance away, Alex reached the top of the stairs and took notice of the cluster of young women nearby.

"Not going anywhere near that," he muttered to himself as he turned and headed for the Temple's main spire. Since his first visit had resulted in Korra being spared an ambush by the Equalists, Alex had been granted unlimited access to the Island's library and records. So far he had found a few vague references to people of extraordinary or unexplained power, but nothing solid of yet.

Stepping inside and taking off his hat, Alex made his way toward library, taking his time to admire the Air Nomad artwork that lined the walls. The ancient, almost extent culture fascinated him, reminding him of the Tibetan culture from his home world. Finally entering the library, the courier hung his hat and coat from a post by the door before he began to search though the shelves.

One book in particular caught his eye and stood out from the others. It was a leather bound journal, old and plain without any words or lettering on the cover. Plucking the book from its place on the shelf, Alex flipped through the yellowed pages with a mild curiosity. The Chinese writing was small, old, and faded from years of neglect, making it difficult to read. Just as he was about to put the book back, a single name caught his eye, making him do a double take. It wasn't just that the name was written in English, it was the fact that Alex recognized it.

Amelia Earhart.

"What the hell?" he asked out loud, suddenly sucked in by his discovery. Alex focused more on the words around the English lettering, trying to decipher their meaning with a new found hunger, a need to know what the pages contained.

"Ah, Mr. Chambers, I wasn't aware that you had stopped by," Tenzin said as he entered the room and noticed the courier standing nearby. Alex instantly walked toward the Airbending Master, his sense of urgency not going unnoticed.

"Councilman, do you know who this journal belongs to? I believe I may have made a breakthrough," he explained in a calm, but hurried voice. Tenzin took the journal and looked it over. His eyes brightened with recognition.

"Ah yes, this was my father's journal. After the Yakone Incident some forty years ago, Avatar Aang tried to compel a record of rare, unusual, or unique instances of bending," he explained.

"Can you read the passages around these words?" Alex asked, pointing to the name scribbled on the page. Tenzin squinted at the writing, taking a moment to read over the faded words.

 _"In the ninety fifth year of the Hundred Year War, a Fire Navy ship pulled a woman from the waters off Red Sand Island shortly after a typhoon. According to records, the woman claimed to have been an 'aviator' heading for a location known as 'Howland Island' when her craft, which she claimed to have been capable of flight, crashed into the sea. Aside from her apparent delusional ramblings, the woman, who identified herself with the name Amelia Earhart, was also the subject of several strange electrical anomalies. Believing her to be a rare type of lightningbender and therefore dangerous with her apparent insanity, Fire Navy Command commented Ms. Earhart to an asylum, at which point she all but vanishes from history."_ he translated. The two looked at each other in stunned silence.

"I assume you have some light that you can shed on this?" Tenzin asked. Alex put his hands on his head as he blew air from his mouth in a stunned manner.

"Amelia Earhart is one of the most famous pilots in the world back home. She vanished without a trace seventy five years ago while on one of her flights. The last transmission anyone received from her was near a place called Howland Island," Alex explained as he collapsed into a chair.

"This is extraordinary. It's a shame we don't have more records on this Amelia woman. I can only imagine what her life must have been like," Tenzin said as he continued to flip through the pages of the journal.

"Aside from being stuck in a straight jacket and forgotten, she had a rather remarkable life. But, Councilman if I may, I'd like to ask two favors from you," Alex said.

"What is that?"

"One, I'd like for you to continue research for more incidents like this. If us and Earhart could make it though I can only image who else may had done it."

"And the second favor?"

"Don't tell any of this to Kelly. If she learns about this, she might think that there is a way to go home, and I don't want to get her hopes up until we know more," he explained. The Councilman remained silent for a long time as he stroked his goatee in thought.

"I will do as you ask. But only until we know more about this," he finally agreed. A soft knock came from the doorway, causing both men to turn toward the noise. Korra was standing in the door frame, still wearing her dark blue winter coat.

"Am I interrupting?" she asked.

"No, no we were just finishing up. Do you need something?" Tenzin asked.

"I was hoping to talk to Alex in private." The Airbending Master arched his eyebrow toward the courier, who simply shrugged.

"Sure, we can walk and talk. Thank you again for your help, Councilman," Alex said as he slid his coat on and grabbed his fedora.

"Always a pleasure, Mr. Chambers," Tenzin said, bidding them farewell. The two teens walked toward a small garden not far from the library, an awkward silence settling over them. Although he didn't know her that well, Alex got the feeling that there was a lot on Korra's mind at the moment.

"So what did you wanna talk about?" he asked, breaking the silence.

"I...I wanted to thank you for what you did the other night on Aang Memorial Island. If it hadn't been for you, I would have walked right into that ambush and Amon would have taken my bending," she said. It didn't escape his notice that she was doing her best not to look at him.

"That's what friends do, Korra, they help each other out. Even when they're crazy enough to challenge a masked madman to a duel," Alex replied. The Avatar gave a half smile, but still refused to look at him.

"Thanking me isn't all that you wanted to say, is it?" he asked. She shook her head.

"Well, spit it out?"

"It's just...I'm really confused right now. Both Kelly and Pema gave me advice, but I'm not sure which one to take," she said.

"And this advice was over...?"

"My...romance department, as Kelly put it."

"Well, considering the fact that Kelly never had a relationship that lasted longer then two weeks, and Pema has been married for ten years and is soon to be a mother of four, I'd say the choice is pretty obvious," Alex said.

"Oh..well...in that case...," Korra trailed off, her cheeks gaining some color. This didn't escape the courier's notice.

"I'm guessing that this has something to do with you liking someone but you're not sure how to tell them, am I right?" he asked. Korra didn't respond, but rather nodded and looked at her boots.

"In my experience, action speaks louder then words. If I hate I guy, I punch him in the mouth. If I like a girl, I give her a kiss. In both situations the point gets across and I don't have to stumble to look for words," Alex said. For the first time since the conversation started, Korra looked him in the eye and took a deep breath.

"Okay." With that, she threw caution to the wind, grabbed Alex's head, and pulled him into a kiss.

 **And cut! Ah, a cliffhanger, gotta love 'em. How is Alex gonna react to this little turn of events?**

 **Now, I have a choice to make that I want your guy's opinion on. I'm considering moving this story to the M section, partly because Alex swears like a sailor and partly because I'm considering adding in lemons and other graphic things. What do you guys think? Drop a review, leave a PM, let me know what you think, and I'll see you all in the next one.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey guys, I'm back with a new chapter!**

 **I was not expecting the amount of response from last chapter. But, the people have voted and as you may have noticed this story is now in the M Rating. Which means that now I can go all out if I so choose. Now I know some of you were not happy with how the last chapter ended and probably want my head (looking at you mpowers). However, I ask that you leave my head at it's proper place atop it's shoulders until you have read this chapter, at which point you can decide what you want to do.**

 **So, without any further delay, on with the chapter:**

Alex's eyes were the size of dinner plates as his mind attempted to process the situation he had found himself in. Up until a few seconds ago, he had been under the impression that Korra had disliked him. Now, though, it was abundantly clear how wrong he had been. After a moment, Korra broke the kiss and pulled back to study his reaction.

The only thing Alex seemed to be able to do was stare at her with his mouth agape. A squeak came from his throat as he attempted to form words, but utterly failed at doing so. Korra snapped her fingers in front of his eyes a few times in an effort to get his attention back. Alex blinked, and suddenly reality came crashing down on top of him.

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, this is not happening, this is not happening," he said as he began to walk through the garden at a brisk pace. Korra followed behind, confusion evident on her face.

"Alex? What's wrong?" she asked. Alex stopped and turned on the balls of his feet to face her.

"You mean besides the fact that a woman who has tried to kill me on at least two separate occasions since I met her just kissed me out of the blue?" he asked.

"Well, yeah I can see how that's confusing, but I can explain," Korra said as he put her hand on the back of her head. Alex held up a finger, motioning for her to be silent.

"Aside from that little cesspool of confusion, you are aware I have a girlfriend, right?" he asked. Korra blinked and jerked her head back a little in shock.

"Really?"

"Yes, really. Why is always so surprising to people that I have a girlfriend?"

"Probably cause most people describe you as an ass." Alex opened his mouth for a retort, but stopped as he thought over her words.

"Okay, point taken. But yes, I do have a girlfriend. And if she ever finds out about what just happened here," he said, motioning back and forth between the two of them, "she will kill us both without any hesitation or mercy."

"You make her sound like some kind of vengeful goddess," Korra said, crossing her arms. Alex simply shrugged.

"Asami is many things, and in my eyes she is her own form of goddess. But you better bet your ass she's vengeful. That girl has a mean streak a mile wide when she's pissed," he said with a shutter. Recognition flickered though Korra's eyes at the mention of the name.

"Asami? As in Asami Sato?" she asked. Now it was Alex's turn to look confused.

"You know her?"

"Yeah, we met at the Gala. The impression I got from her was that she was a girl who had everything. I guess I was right," she said, looking down as sadness crept into her voice. This didn't escape Alex's notice.

"Hey, listen, I'm sorry about freaking out. You caught me by surprise, ya know?" he said, his voice softer now.

"I didn't know what else to do. It seemed like the best way to say something because I couldn't find the words," Korra said, refusing to look at him.

"Obviously you and I got a lot to talk about. But I'm not the type of guy that two times, so can we both agree to keep our hands to ourselves?" he asked. Korra nodded, but still refused to look at him.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I was just confused and between you and Pema and Kelly..." she started, but stopped when Alex held up a hand.

"I get it, you got caught up in the moment and you acted on it. Just answer me this; did you honestly not know that I was in a relationship before you did it?" he asked. She shook her head.

"Would you have done it if you had known?" Korra remained silent as she thought the possibility over. She didn't want to ruin someone's relationship, but at the same time Alex was just so appealing...

"Honestly, I'm not sure. I mean I'd like to say no, but, I'm just not sure," she said. Alex didn't say anything for the longest time. He was so silent and still that Korra started to worry that she had angered him.

"You're still new at this, aren't you?" he asked. She nodded weakly, looking at her boots in shame at the admission. To her surprise, she felt a had appear on her shoulder. It was one of reassurance, the kind a friend gave to another friend in times of need.

"You don't have anything to be embarrassed about. You spent over ten years in a military compound being trained and under constant guard. It's no surprise you have no experience. And besides, truth be told I'm almost as bad as you are," he said.

"Really?" Korra asked in surprise.

"Yeah. I figured that's something Kelly would have mentioned when she was 'advising' you about me."

"Well, she did say that you aren't really boyfriend material." Alex's look turned sour.

"Did she now? She's not exactly the raining guru when it comes to dealing with the opposite sex," he said with irritation in his voice.

"So..what happens now?" Korra asked. Alex gripped his chin in thought.

"How 'bout this? You ask Mako or Bolin out on a date, and then we'll go on a double date or something. That way you get some experience under your belt," he suggested.

"That...sounds like a plan," Korra said.

 _Narook's. That Evening._

"What do you think of them together?" Asami asked as she watched Bolin and Korra laughing at a nearby table. Alex was lightly stirring the bowl of noodles in front of him with his chop sticks. The only reason he usually came here was for the drinks. The noodles and other Water Tribe cuisine was something he found less then desirable.

"I don't know. She's hot headed and he can be a little dense sometimes. Could be an interesting pair," he said.

"You're new to this whole match maker thing aren't you?"

"You know me, sweetheart. I deliver packages, get into barfights, and can give off enough voltage to power a city block. Matchmaking wasn't apart of the package," he said before taking a swift sip of his drink. The ruby red liquid gave him a satisfying burn as it slid down his throat.

"Yeah, we've talked about that barfight thing. I'm tired of putting a raw steak on your eye when you come home," Asami said with a small smile.

"That reminds me, I'm surprised that your dad is still letting me live in the mansion," he said.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, we've been together for a while. You're a very beautiful young woman, I'm a teenage male, and we're living under the same roof. I would think that he would have at least pulled me to the side and given the whole 'don't touch my daughter' talk," he explained.

"Oh. I suspect it's coming. I've already gotten 'the talk' at least two times now," Asami said before taking a sip of her drink. Glancing over at Korra and Bolin again, Alex caught sight of something that made his mood shift. Sitting in the far corner with a young woman clinging to each arm was Tahno. He hadn't seen the purple haired, pale skinned waterbender for months. And that was how he preferred it. Seeing him here made his blood boil.

"Son of a bitch," he muttered with a hint of anger.

"What? What is it?" Asami asked, perking up slightly as she noticed the sudden mood swing in her boyfriend. Alex only slightly cocked his glass in the waterbender's direction, telling her where to look.

"It's that dick, Tahno," he said before downing all of his drink and slamming his cup down on the table. Asami's hand appeared on his own.

"Sweetie, please. Don't do anything rash," she said, her emerald eyes pleading with him. Alex gritted his teeth, but felt his heart melt at his girlfriend's look.

"Alright fine. I'll leave it be. But I still owe that smug bastard one," he said. Asami flashed him a grateful smile before looking back toward their friends. Her smile instantly melted from her face.

"Oh no." Alex followed her gaze and saw Tahno making his way over to Korra and Bolin's table, flanked on either side by his teammates. The earthbender was hunkered down in his seat, focusing on his bowl of noodles. Alex had seen this type of behavior in school before. It was the kind of posture people who got picked on in the cafeteria adopted when they tried to make themselves invisible.

The courier watched as Korra and Tahno conversed back and forth. Although he couldn't hear what was being said, he could tell the conversation was taking a bad turn when Korra slowly started to rise from her chair, her posture like that of someone bracing for a fight.

"That's not good," he said as he began to slide out of the booth. Asami's hand appearing again on his stopped him.

"Try not to start anything," she said. Alex looked back and forth between her and the two waterbenders. He gave her a small, apologetic smile.

"No promises," he said. Crossing the room, Alex acted like he wasn't paying attention and bumped into Tahno.

"Hey! Watch where you're..." the waterbender froze when he realized who had bumped into him.

"Tahno! If it isn't my favorite pompous ass. How ya been old buddy? Still getting away with attempted murder and what not?" Alex asked. Tahno's mouth opened and closed like a baffled fish out of water.

"Now I know you're not bothering this fine couple, are you?" he asked.

"I don't see how it's any of your business," Tahno replied.

"I'm making it my business."

"You sure you wanna tangle with the Wolf Bats? As I seem to recall, you're not even a bender." The corner of Alex's mouth tugged upward into a grin.

"You ain't got a fountain to save your hide this time, Tahno," he said.

"Alex, don't! If you hit him the Fire Ferrets are disqualified from the tournament!" Bolin hissed.

"I'm not affiliated with the Fire Ferrets, Bolin. If I hit him, it's just another bar fight," Alex replied.

"Pfft. You think you can touch me? Go ahead, give me your..." the waterbender never got to finish as Alex's fist plowed into his face. The purple haired waterbender was sent sprawling to the floor, blood flowing freely from his nose, which was bent at a weird angle and obviously broken.

"I'm sorry, were you gonna tell me to give it my all? I couldn't hear you over the sound of your nose breaking," Alex said as Tahno's teammates began to help him up. He cupped his nose gently in an effort to stop the bleeding.

"Don't just stand there, get him!" Tahno snapped, his voice sounding off thanks to his nose. Ordinarily, Alex would have found the scene hilarious, if not for the two benders that were currently bearing down on him. They both grabbed him roughly by his upper arms, making it clear they meant business.

"I don't suppose you guys want to surrender?" he asked. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Korra and Bolin's mouth agape with horror and awe while Asami simply face palmed. Looking back at the two benders holding him, he saw their faces twist in rage.

Oh yeah, this was going to be fun.

* * *

"OUCH! Jesus Christ woman, just let me hook up to the battery already," Alex said. He was currently sitting on the couch in the makeshift lab as Asami pulled chunks of glass from his arm with a pair of tweezers.

"Not yet, if these cuts close up with glass still in them you'll be worse off then you were. Besides, it serves you right for tearing up Narook's like that," she replied as she picked another piece out.

"I just wanted to hit that jackass. I wasn't planning on his buddies getting involved," Alex said as he gritted his teeth against the pain.

"You taunting them the entire time didn't help matters."

"Hey, Thing One and Thing Two had it coming."

"Is that what you were thinking when they threw you through that window?" Asami asked.

"Actually what was going through my head was something along the lines of: 'I wonder if I should pay for the night's meal or put it on my tab? Do tabs cover bar fights? Oh shit, is that a window?'."

"Well, the answer to your question is no, tabs do not cover bar fights," Asami said as she freed another chunk of glass.

"Good to know."

"There, that's the last of it. Zap away," Asami said. Alex shot her a look before he licked both of his palms and grabbed the poles on a car battery. Instantly his body locked up as the electric current coursed through him. Asami watched as the cuts on his arm closed up and disappeared, not even leaving a scar behind. With the battery drained, Alex leaned back into the couch and breathed a sigh of relief.

"I don't know if I'll ever get use to that," she said as she handed him a towel.

"Try being the one that it happens to. I still have moments where I think I'm dreaming," Alex replied as he wiped away the remaining blood.

"After what you've told me about your home that's not surprising. I mean, a place where no one has bending? It's hard to imagine," she said. Alex paused as a realization crossed his mind. That was what Amon and the Equalists wanted; a world without bending. A world like his home.

"It may not be that far off," he said.

"What do you mean?"

"That's what The Equalists want, isn't it? A world without bending, a world where everyone is equal."

"You're starting to sound like an Equalist supporter," Asami said as she began to put away the bits and pieces she had taken from a first aid kit.

"Equality is a good thing on paper, but in reality it very rarely works out. Everyone usually ends up suffering in the end."

"You sound like you've seen this before," Asami noted.

"My world had something similar to this happen many years ago. The result was the Cold War: almost eighty years of the world being divided between two ideologies and teetering on the verge of destroying itself," Alex said.

"Did you see this time?" the heiress asked, thinking of the stories she had heard of the Hundred Year War. It was really the only thing she could think of in recent history that could even compare.

"No. I was born in the years after it. But I grew up around the relics of it, so you could say I felt it to some degree," Alex said. Asami nodded before looking away. She looked a little downtrodden, which didn't escape her boyfriend's notice.

"Hey, what's bugging you?" he asked.

"Its just that with everything going on with the Equalists, the future seems so...uncertain," she said. Alex took her hand and pulled her into a hug. The peak of her raven black hair was level with his nose, allowing him to smell her shampoo.

"Everything will be fine, as long as we got each other," he said.

"But with your powers, that will make you a target for Amon. Alex pulled back enough so that he could look at her properly. Storm gray eyes stared into emerald green, neither one of them willing to look away.

"I don't care if Hell itself bursts out of downtown Republic City. I love you, Asami, and I'm not going anywhere for the world," he said. Asami gasped a little at his declaration, leaving Alex a little puzzled.

"You...you love me?" she asked. The courier blinked as realization dawned on him. Although they had been together for a while, neither one of them had actually said that they loved the other.

Until now.

"Yes. I do," he said without a second thought. It was the truth. Asami was the light of his world, and he couldn't picture life without her by his side. Reaching up, Asami rapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down into a passionate kiss. They stayed that way until their lungs screamed for air, and with reluctance they broke apart.

"I love you too," Asami whispered as they rested their foreheads against each other. For once, Alex didn't worry about things that were happening in his life. He wasn't thinking about his powers, or Tannan, or the Equalists, or anything at all really. The only thing on his mind was the beautiful raven haired young woman wrapped in his arms.

And for him, that was enough.

 **And cut! Not much action in this chapter, but that will be made up for in the next one as we move on to the events of the Pro Bending Finals.**

 **Now then, I feel that I should warn you, dear readers, that I have debated long and hard about it and have come to the conclusion that there will be a smut scene in this story. It won't be for a few chapters however, and yes I will warn you when the time comes.**

 **But other then that, feel free to drop a review, leave a PM, ask a question, or send a smoke signal. Let me know what you guys think, and I'll see you all in the next one.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey guys, back with a new chapter!**

 **Wow, chapter twelve. Again, I can't thank you guys enough for your support. There was even a suggestion for a song to be added to the soundtrack I posted a few chapters back, (not a bad suggestion, pyrojack). But that's besides the point. For those of you who love action, you're gonna love this chapter cause it is chalk full of it as the Pro Bending Finals are finally here. So, with that, on to the chapter...**

 _Alex didn't know where he was. There was darkness all around him, so thick that he could barely see his hand in front of his face. His powers weren't working, no matter how many times he tired, the arcs of electricity wouldn't come._

 _"Look at yourself. Powerless, unable to defend that which you have come to love." He felt a chill go up his spine as he recognized the voice. It belonged to the masked madman, Amon. Lightning lit up the sky around him, and Alex realized that he knew where he was. He was standing on the front lawn of the Sato Estate, looking down upon the Republic City skyline._

 _The city was in flames, casting an eerie orange glow as heavy rain poured from the sky. Hearing a scream, Alex quickly turned to find a group of Equalists standing around Tannan. The mad doctor was wearing the same outfit he had worn during The Revelation, and he was holding Asami aloft by her throat._

 _"NO!" he screamed, desperate to run forward and save her. But an invisible force held him at bay. He could only watch as the color drained from her face, and then the life drained from her eyes. When her body hung limp, Tannan simply tossed her aside before turning to face him._

 _"Do you really think you have what it takes to stop us?" Tannan asked. Alex watched as the doctor morphed into Tarrlok._

 _"We are gods amongst men. And this city is doomed to fall to fires of Revolution at our bidding," the councilman said. Again, his figured morphed, this time settling into that of Amon._

 _"A kid who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Who are you to face us?" Again, another morph, only this time it settled into that of Kelly. To say that Alex was surprised was an understatement._

 _"Who are you to become involved?" his oldest friend asked. He looked past her to the fallen body of his love._

 _"Who are you to question my reasons?" he asked, "I walk my own path." The figure posing as Kelly looked down at Asami's body and chuckled. Once again, it morphed, this time settling into that of Korra._

 _"As long as she is at your side, your path is not your own. And for that weakness, you will fail," the Avatar said before her eyes glowed white and she thrust her hand outward._

Alex jerked awake in a cold sweat. The dream, or nightmare as he would more accurately describe it, had been so real. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he placed his hands on his temples and took deep breaths in an effort to calm his rapid heartbeat. A short set of knocks came at his door before it opened, reveling Asami.

"Alex are you...you okay? You look a little disturbed," she said when she noticed the state of her boyfriend.

"I'm alright. Just a...very vivid dream," he said.

"You wanna talk about it?" Alex motioned for her to come closer as he climbed out of bed. When she was close enough, he simply wrapped her up into a hug and kissed her forehead.

"No. This is all I need," he replied. Asami gave a small smile and a peck on the lips.

"Well I'm glad to hear that. But you might wanna get dressed, we gotta get down to the Pro Bending Arena," she said, glancing downward at his body. The courier was still dressed in his usual sleepwear, which consisted of a pair of shorts and nothing more.

"Oh. Um, right," he said, blushing a little before he raced to throw on some clothes. Asami watched with her smile still present, her own cheeks gaining some color. She enjoyed checking out her boyfriend, although she would never admit that out loud.

"Why is it that whenever I'm getting dressed, you're always in the room?" Alex asked as he pulled a shirt on.

"Lucky coincidence, I guess," Asami replied.

"One of these days the shoe is gonna be on the other foot, ya know."

"You'd like that wouldn't you," she said with a small smirk. Alex didn't answer, but rather gave a smirk of his own.

"Come on, let's get going."

 _Pro Bending Arena. Later that evening._

"Holy fricken' crap, how did I not get involved with this sooner?!" Alex said as he looked down over the Arena below. He was leaning over the railing of their private booth, watching as the Fire Ferrets were transported to the ring. Hiroshi was sitting behind them calmly, a relaxed smile on his face. Alex had changed his attire somewhat, trading in the ratty old trench coat for a brown leather overcoat which had a hood and terminated at his knees. It was a gift from Asami, and was one of his new favorite pieces of attire. The fedora which now usually rested atop his head was back at the mansion, leaving his closely cropped hair exposed to the evening air.

"So you like it, huh?" Asami asked.

"Are you kidding? It's like dodgeball and boxing had a love child!" he replied. The heiress smiled at her boyfriend before returning her attention to the match.

"Introducing the challengers; the Future Industries Fire Ferrets!" the announcer shouted into the microphone as he pointed toward the approaching team. Bolin turned Pabu loose, who began to dance about on his front legs. The crowd roared as the up and coming team took their place.

"And their opponents, the three timed defending champions; the White Falls Wolfbats!" Fireworks erupted from behind the Wolfbats as they extended fake bat wings and let out wolf howls.

"Well, they're not compensating for anything," Alex said, earning a snicker from his girlfriend. As the match began, he took a moment to look over the crowd. Amon had threatened severe consequences if the Council refused to shut down the Arena. Between Korra and Chief Beifong, the Council had been persuaded to keep it the Arena open and the Finals on schedule despite the threat. But just because there were cops posted at every entrance didn't mean that Alex was willing to let his guard down.

"Son, are you okay?" Hiroshi asked. Both of the Satos had noticed the change in his demeanor.

"I'm fine...just a feeling is all," he replied. Placing his hands on the railing, Alex closed his eyes and took a deep breath in order to relax. As he had come to expect, he could sense the electric currents flowing throughout the building. It had become pretty much second nature to him. If he concentrated hard enough, no one could sneak up on him.

Just as he started to release his grip on the railing, something caught his attention. It was a small object, the size and shape of a glove in the nearby stands. Judging by the way the object was positioned, it was hidden somewhere on or near a person's body. Expanding his area of coverage, Alex felt a growing concern in the pit of his stomach as he detected more and more of the devices.

"Alex?" Asami asked, placing her hand on his shoulder. He gave her a small smile of reassurance.

"Gotta use the facilities," he said.

"Now? Korra and Tahno are about to square off for the round." Alex bit his lip as he watched the Avatar and her bending rival being elevated on a small platform in the middle of the ring. As much as he wanted to watch the outcome, he needed to investigate these devices.

"Yeah, too much tea," he said. Asami gave him a look, one that he had seen before many times. She knew something was up and didn't believe his story.

"Be careful," she whispered. He gave her one of his signature smiles before he slipped out of the booth. The hallways were almost totally deserted with all the spectators being in the stands. Stopping for a moment, he closed his eyes again and placed his hand on the wall. A pulse radiated outward from him like a sonar wave, allowing him to see anything electrically powered nearby.

Alex noticed that one of the glove devices was moving toward him down the hallway like someone was carrying it. Opening his eyes, he realized that someone was walking toward him. It was a young man, not much older then himself, carrying a box of popcorn in his hands. If he hadn't detected the device hidden within the box, Alex doubted he would have even suspected the man.

Glancing to his left, he noticed the door to a janitor's closet. A plan quickly formed in his head. Walking a few paces forward, Alex looked down at his boots, acting like he wasn't paying any attention to the man. At the last second, he suddenly sprang forward, grabbed the man and dragged him into the closet before he could react.

"What the...?!"

"Shut up! What's the device you got in the box?" Alex asked, pressing the man against the wall with his forearm across his chest.

"What device? What are you talking about?" the man asked. The courier slapped the box of popcorn out of his hand. It landed on the floor between them, sending popcorn everywhere as well as a metal glove skidding out onto the concrete.

"THAT device. What is it?" The man's fearful demeanor vanished in an instant. In it's place, the coldness of a battle hardened soldier appeared.

"The Revolution begins tonight. If you're smart, you'll stay out of our way," he hissed. Alex grabbed him by the neck and gave off a decent shock, knocking the man out.

"Sorry, never been my strong suit," he said as he let the Equalist slump to the floor. He quickly pat the man down, but failed to find an ID or anything else that could be used to identify him. What he did find was a hood carefully tucked into the back of his collar, and a bandana with a single red dot in the center tied around his neck.

Reaching down and picking up the device, Alex turned it over in his hands. Both his mind as a tinkerer and his powers were active as he looked it over. He could feel the powerful battery contained inside. It was strong enough that a short burst could knock a fully grown adult out for several minutes. Looking back down at the disguise the Equalist had been hiding, Alex finally put two and two together.

"The son of a bitch is going through with his threat," he said to himself. He thought back to how many devices he had been able to detect in his part of the Arena alone. One Equalist per device, all of them blended into the crowd. With their numbers, they'd be able to subdue the cops and seize control of the building before anyone realized what was happening.

In an instant, Alex's mind went into tactical mode. Right now, he had two options, and he didn't care much for either one of them. His first option was tracking down Tenzin and Chief Beifong and warning them about the coming attack. But the problem was that he had no idea where they were located. No doubt the attack would have started by the time he located them.

His second option was locating the main group of Equalists, taking them out or infiltrating them, and minimizing the damage the attack would cause. Again, time was a major factor. But unlike the airbender and the police chief, Alex had an idea of where to start looking.

Picking up the glove, he quickly drained it's battery of all its power before he dropped the now useless device into it's owner's lap. Closing and locking the closet door behind him, Alex took off at a jog through the hallways.

"Ring Service Entrance, Ring Service Entrance, Ring Service Entrance. Ah, bingo!" he muttered to himself as he found a door labeled 'service access'. Opening the door with a kick, he took off down the flight of stairs and into the twisting maze of passages hidden beneath the Arena. He could hear the roar of the crowd above him as he hurried along, knowing full well that time was running out.

Hearing footsteps coming from a hallway intersection up ahead, Alex quickly ducked into a small cubby and watched with his back pressed against the wall. A small group of fully uniformed Equalists came marching by, giving the courier an idea. Slinking forward like a cat stalking prey, Alex began to follow the group. He walked carefully, placing his feet heel to toe so as to make as little sound as possible.

His target was a broad Equalist who had strayed back a few paces from the main group. Before he could react, Alex grabbed the man and placed him into a sleeper hold his father had taught him. His right forearm was pressed into the man's throat to keep him from breathing, while his left hand clamped down on his gas mask where his mouth would be to keep him from crying out and alerting his allies.

The Equalist struggled, but Alex's grip held firm, and after a few moments the man finally passed out from a lack of oxygen. Dropping the now limp body to the floor, Alex stood up straight as the Equalists turned at the noise. Instantly they all took combat stances, ready for a fight. Alex threw out his arms, unleashing a wave of crackling electricity toward them. The entire group cried out as the current surged through them before they collapsed.

"You know, this was suppose to be my night off. But nooo, I gotta chase you assholes around in the fucking Arena underbelly." he said, kicking one of the Equalists in the ribs in order to let off some anger. From above, the sound of the knockout bell signified the end of the match. Alex cursed again before he grabbed one of the gas masks off of the fallen Equalists and took off at a run.

* * *

"I believe I have your attention, benders of Republic City," Amon said into a microphone. He and a group of Equalists were standing in the middle of the Ring after both defeating and taking away the bending of the Wolfbats. The cries of terror that had filled the Arena just moments before were now silent as the Equalist leader spoke.

"So, once again the Wolfbats are your Pro-Bending champions. It seems fitting that you celebrate three bullies who cheated their way to victory, because every day you threaten and abuse your fellow nonbending citizens, just like the Wolfbats did to their opponents tonight. Those men were supposedly the best in the bending world, and yet it took only a few moments for me to cleanse them of their impurity."

In the underbelly of the Ring, Mako, Korra, and Bolin sat tied to one of the support posts. They had been electrocuted by the Lieutenant while they were still in the knockout pit and then tied up before they could come too.

"How are we gonna get out of here?" Mako asked his team mates. Bolin smiled as he noticed Pabu swimming toward them. The Fire Ferret climbed out of the water and hurried over to his owner.

"Pabu! Listen up, buddy," the earthbender said before he began chattering his teeth. Both Korra and Mako frowned.

"Stop fooling around!" Mako snapped, annoyed at his brother.

"I'm not!" Bolin defended. As if to prove his words, Pabu began to naw on the rope binding them. Nearby, a trapdoor in the floor of the platform suddenly sprang open. A man wearing a brown coat with a hood up and an Equalist gas mask came climbing out of the hole, did a quick look around, and focused his attention on the trio.

As he made his way over to them, Pabu let out a hiss like squeak before he scampered up the post, well out of reach. The man ignored this as he drew a pocket knife and quickly cut the rope holding the team down.

"What...who...?" Korra asked in confusion. The man reached up and pulled the gas mask up, revealing Alex's smirking face.

"Looks like you needed a little help," he said.

"Why are you wearing an Equalist mask?" Korra asked.

"Technically what I'm about to do is vigilantism, and Beifong absolutely hates vigilantes. This way I can zap bad guys and not have to worry about the cops showing up to arrest me," he replied.

"And what is it you're about to do?" Mako asked. Alex gave the firebender an evil smile as he held his arms up. Arcs of electricity danced about from his elbows down to his fingertips.

"I'm gonna be a party crasher," he said as he made his way toward the stairs that led to the top of the ring.

"What about us?" Bolin asked.

"Well, if I were you, I'd stay put for a few minutes until the bomb goes off," Alex replied.

"Bomb?!"

"Yeah, there are explosives planted in shaft of the announcer lift at the center of the ring. Not enough to bring this thing down, but enough to put it out of action for a while."

"How does he...?" Mako started.

"He can detect electric signals or something, somehow. I don't know how it works exactly," Korra explained. Pulling the gas mask back down over his face, Alex hurried up the stairs to the top of the ring. Amon and his followers were boarding round metal platforms that had been lowered via cable through the glass dome far overhead. As the Equalists were being lifted away, he took off a sprint for the nearest one. It held a lone foot soldier, one that was not paying attention to his surroundings.

Alex jumped, and then let out a powerful electric blast from his hands straight down. The resulting momentum launched him upward far enough for him to catch line that the platform was attached to. Without missing a beat, he swung around the line and used his momentum to plant both feet into the Equalist's chest, sending the man flying off the platform and into the water far below.

Suddenly, the ring exploded into a massive fireball as the explosives detonated. Flaming debris flew everywhere. Panicked screams filled the air as the crowd began to flee from the Arena. Alex watched as a sheet of ice appeared on the water from the underside of the ring. A lone person wearing a Fire Ferret uniform appeared on the ice, looking up at them. He smiled to himself as he knew there was only one person on the team who could do that.

Korra leapt into the water, completely submerging herself. After a moment, the Avatar exploded from the pool, riding atop a pillar of water as she rocketed herself upward towards them. They were almost to the hole in the dome now, and Korra's momentum was wearing out. Sure enough, when she was halfway between the ring and the dome, the Avatar's pillar fizzled out and gravity began to take over.

A cable suddenly appeared around Korra's waist, stopping her fall. Alex blinked and let out a sigh of relief before tracing the cable to it's source. Twisting her body like an acrobat, Lin used her metalbending to launch Korra after him. Alex quickly got down on one knee, extending his hand downward. As smoothly as if they had practiced the move a million times before, he caught her and pulled her onto the platform with him.

"Now what?" she asked as they passed through the hole in the dome. Alex raised his hand and unleashed a torrent of electricity at the nearest platform. The two men who had been riding the platform, the Lieutenant and a foot soldier, were sent falling to the glass below.

"Now, we kick ass," he said before jumping after them. Korra watched him go before she looked upward toward the opening in the Equalist airship that was hovering overhead. Amon and the rest of his followers were already inside, looking down at her. With a yell, she sent a powerful blast of fire upwards. It was enough to send the Equalists sprawling and fill the hold with flames, but Amon simply continued to watch as if nothing happened before he turned away and disappeared inside the ship.

Looking around, Korra quickly realized why none of the police had tried to enter the Arena and stop Amon. The night was filled with the orange glow of flames as flaming police boats and down airships lined the harbor around the Arena. Two Equalists suddenly came sliding down the cable attached to her platform, forcing Korra to jump clear. As she landed on the glass, Lin shot out of the hole and retracted her cables into her armor.

"Which one's do you want, kid?" the Chief asked as four foot soldiers closed in on them. Korra shot a brief glance toward Alex, who had his baton out and was fighting with the Lieutenant.

"You take those two, I got these guys," she replied. The two women separated and went after their targets. Short sharp cracks, like that of firecrackers or gunshots filled the air as electrified metal collided with electrified metal. Alex had to admit that the Lieutenant was one fierce opponent and very well trained with his sticks.

He, on the other hand, had only the basic hand to hand that his dad had taught him. Needless to say, Alex was on the defense and losing ground fast. He ducked, parried, dodged, and countered when he could, but it wasn't enough. The Lieutenant gave Alex's baton a swift kick, knocking the homemade weapon from his hand and sending it flying into the night.

With a smirk, he twirled his batons and brought them down from overhead, intending to end his fight. Alex, however, wasn't done yet. He caught both of the Lieutenant's wrists, stopping the downward strike.

"You know, that mustache of yours makes you look like a catfish," Alex said before he reared his head back and brought it forward as hard as he could, headbutting the Lieutenant. The second in command of the Equalists let out a muffled cry as he stumbled backwards, blood pouring freely from his now broken nose.

Alex didn't waste any time in letting him recover. He raised both hands and unleashed a powerful torrent of lightning. The Lieutenant was forced backwards from the power of the electricity, leaving his uniform smoking as he fell over the side of the dome and vanished from sight. With his primary foe now out of the fight, he turned and looked to see how his companions were doing.

Lin was easily holding her own against the two Equalists that were trying to fight her, grabbing them both up with her cables and slamming them into each other repeatedly. So much so, in fact, that Alex started to suspect that this was less Lin fighting and more of her just blowing off steam. Still, he couldn't help but cringe under the gas mask as he head the sound of bones breaking as the two Equalists collided in mid air once again.

Korra, on the hand, was actually fighting her opponents. Unlike the night of the Revelation, she was holding her own and winning. But her success didn't last. Just as she finished roasting one of the Equalists with a prolonged fire blast, the second managed to get in close and grab her neck from behind. Alex took off like a shot, racing to help his friend. The Equalist drove home a few blows into the Avatar's back, causing her to cry out and part of her body to go limp. As he raised his fist to bring down the final blow on her neck and knock her out of the fight, Alex appeared behind him.

The courier hooked his arm around the Equalist's raised arm and yanked backwards as hard as he could. This resulted in the Equalist losing his grip on Korra and falling backwards, slamming his head into the glass. Cracks spread outwards in all directions from the impact point, but Alex ignored it as he dragged the man upward and delivered several rough punches into the spot between the lenses on his gas mask, right where the bridge of his nose would be.

The Equalist crumpled beneath the power of the blows, allowing Alex to throw the now limp man as hard as he could over the side of the dome. Panting from the effort, the courier looked around for another opponent. He found none, as the Equalist airship sailed off into the night.

Walking back over to Korra, Alex placed a concerned hand on her shoulder. Her right arm was hanging limply at her side, the effects of the chi blocker's attack still hadn't worn off.

"Are you..." the sound of cracking filled the air, causing Alex to pause and both of them to look down between their feet. Cracks laced out in all directions like a growing spiderweb contained within the glass.

"Shit."

The glass shattered beneath both of their feet, sending both of them plummeting into the Arena and causing Korra to let out a blood curdling scream. Alex didn't have time to think, didn't have time to panic, in fact he barely even registered what was happening. His body went on auto pilot, grabbing Korra into a bear hug as they fell. He kicked with his feet, unleashing a powerful blast of static electricity. Instead of falling, they were now flying sideways.

Turning his body through the air so that he took the brunt of the impact, Alex felt his back and several other bones break as they slammed through the window of the commentator's booth. Broadcast equipment and glass flew everywhere as they landed on the floor of the booth, startling Shiro Shinobi, who had been hiding under his desk.

"Not my best landing," Alex said through gritted teeth. Korra, who aside from a few cuts and bruises was relatively unharmed, was immediately at her friend's side.

"Hey, you alright? Talk to me, I'm a healer, what's wrong?"

"Avatar Korra? Simply amazing, who's your masked friend here that can throw lightning around like it's nothing?" Shiro asked.

"He's badly hurt, go find Councilman Tenzin and bring him here, now!" Korra snapped. Instantly the radio broadcaster was on his feet and out of the booth. Alex reached up and pulled the gas mask off, allowing him to breathe better.

"My back's busted, I don't know what else," he said through gritted teeth.

"Healing doesn't effect wounds that deep. I can give you relief from the pain, but until your back heals the normal way your going to be laid up," Korra said, looking over his wounds. Alex's eye caught sight of a power outlet sticking out of the wall within arm's reach.

"Stand back," he instructed. Hesitantly, Korra took a few steps backwards, unsure of what was about to happen. Pulling out his pocket knife, Alex flicked the blade open.

"Screw waiting to heal, I got shit to do," he said before he stabbed the blade into the outlet. Sparks flew as the electric current passed through the blade and into his body. Alex's back arched, his eyes bugged out of his head, and an agonizing cry escaped from his throat. Unlike the other times when he had healed, when he had felt relief, this was nothing but pain as he felt his bones reattach and readjust themselves to their proper places.

When his body was done repairing itself, Alex yanked the knife free from the outlet and collapsed onto the floor. His face was drenched in sweat and his chest heaved as he stared straight up at the ceiling. After a moment, Korra's face appeared in his line of vision.

"You alright?" she asked.

"Worst. Night. Ever," he answered, his voice dry and full of exhaustion. Korra nodded in agreement.

"Thanks for the save," she said. Alex waved her off as he pulled himself up so that he was sitting against the wall rather then laying in the middle of the floor. Korra watched him do this before she looked down at the smoking wreckage of the ring.

"Amon got away. We lost," she said bitterly.

"This is only the beginning. The Revolution has officially begun, we are at war," Alex said. After a moment, the courier blinked, let out a groan, and let the back of his head thump against the wall.

"What?"

"War means I gotta pull double duty with the vigilante crap," he said before thumping his head against the wall again.

"I need a fuckin' vacation."

 **And that's a wrap! Hopefully you guys enjoyed this because I had been planning out that fight for a long time.**

 **Now, some notes about the future. There are about six chapters left until the finale of Chain Lightning. There will be sequels covering Books 2, 3, and 4 respectively. Needless to say, things are only just getting started for Alex and his friends. For those of you wondering, cause I know some of you are, the smut scene I warned you about will likely be taking place in the next chapter, lucky 13. Don't say I didn't warn you.**

 **But other then that, you know the drill by now: leave a review, drop a PM, send a telegram or a smoke signal or something! Let me know what you guys liked or didn't like, and I'll see you all in the next one.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey guys, back with a new chapter! As of the posting of this chapter, lucky 13, we broke a hundred follows. That's the most I've had on a story, ever. Again, I cannot thank you guys enough for your support. Now, be warned, this chapter contains smut. Don't worry, there's a warning beforehand for those of you who want to skip. But, enough of that. On with the events of The Aftermath:**

Alex tore his way through the makeshift lab, his anger growing by the second. The object he had so carefully worked on for the past several months had just simply up and vanished. And that infuriated him. After a few moments, he turned over a table and let loose a howl of frustration. Turning, he stomped out of the lab and into the main mansion. The murderous look in his eye was enough to make any servants he encountered steer clear and give him a wide berth.

"BOLIN!" he roared as he kicked open the door to the pool room. The earthbender, who had been about to jump into the water, let out a yelp and climbed to the top of the lion turtle statue standing on the water's edge like a frightened cat taking refuge in a tree.

After the attack on the Pro Bending Arena, the brothers had been evicted from their apartment due to it being apart of a crime scene now. Asami had almost instantly invited them to come live at the mansion, without asking her father and much to Alex's frustration. It wasn't that he disliked the brothers, in fact he found Mako and Bolin to be enjoyable, at least when Bolin behaved himself anyway. It was that he had grown use to having the place to himself with Asami, and it was going to take a little bit for him to adjust to them being around.

Provided he didn't kill Bolin first.

"Did you go into the workshop after I told you a hundred times not too?" Alex asked, pointing a screwdriver at the cowering former pro bender.

"Yes..."

"Did you move the long cylinder looking thing that was laying on the main table?"

"Pabu was curious..."

"DON'T BLAME THIS ON YOUR PET! WHAT DID YOU DO WITH IT?" he roared. The sound of someone clearing their throat caught his attention. Turning, Alex realized for the first time that they wern't the only ones in the room. Mako, Asami, Korra, and Kelly were all at the far side of the pool, watching the exchange going on. The first two were wearing bathing suits and sitting on the lounge chairs next to the water, while the latter pair looked like they had just walked in off of the street.

"Is this what you're looking for?" Mako asked, holding up the lightning gun prototype that he had been working on. Alex's eyes narrowed and his head slowly turned to face Bolin again.

"I thought it looked neat and wanted to show it off!" Bolin quickly said, holding up his hands. A small arc of lightning shot from the screwdriver in Alex's hand and zapped the earthbender, causing him to cry out and fall from the statue into the pool. Muttering curses under his breath, he stalked over and snatched the weapon from Mako's grasp.

"Next time, listen to what I tell you. You could have killed everyone in this room," he said as Bolin surfaced.

"What did you put together this time?" Kelly asked, stepping forward. Alex tossed her the prototype.

"It's a directed energy weapon," he said. The bi-speckled teen looked the device over and even aimed down its sights once.

"It looks like you welded a laser musket to the barrel of a DG-2," she deadpanned. Alex's face turned to a scowl as he snatched the weapon back from her.

"Figures. I create a gun that can shoot lightning, you claim I rip off video games," he said. Kelly simply shrugged.

"Calling it like I see it." Alex rolled his eyes.

"So what brings you two here?" he asked.

"Asami invited me over, and Kelly wanted to come along cause she felt cooped up on the Island," Korra explained.

"That's right, we haven't been properly introduced. I'm Asami Sato," Asami said, standing and sticking out her hand to Kelly, who shook it.

"Kelly Masters. It's nice to finally meet the girlfriend that everyone claims that Alex has," she said. The glare that Alex sent her way was pure venom, but she simply smirked in response.

"I'm real, I assure you," Asami said with a smile. Kelly stuck her arm around the heiress in a friendly manner.

"Asami, can I give you some advice? Woman to woman? Dump that blonde headed bum and hall ass for the mountains. He ain't worth your time," Kelly said, her tone of voice and smile making it clear that she was just joking. Asami looked at her boyfriend and smiled.

"I don't think I could do that if I tried," she said. Kelly patted her on the back with approval.

"Oh well, don't say I didn't warn you," she said before turning toward Alex, "I like her."

"So Asami, what do you have planned for us today? Let me guess, a makeover?" Korra asked. The heiress simply shrugged in response.

"If you want. I was originally going to start this off with some swimming if you want. You and Kelly can borrow some of my suits," she said. Korra's cheeks gained a little bit of color.

"I..I don't think that's a good idea," she said.

"Why not?"

"Cause she's never worn a bathing suit before," Kelly said, flashing a sadistic grin.

"Kelly!"

"What? You spent your entire life at the South Pole, is it really that much of a surprise?"

"Kelly, knock it off. You're embarrassing the poor girl," Alex said, although the smirk on his face made it clear that he was enjoying the display going on before him. Korra's face turned even more red, although judging by the glare in her eye it was from rage rather then embarrassment.

"I'm not embarrassed!" she snapped. The courier simply cocked his eyebrow.

"You're lying out your ass."

"I am not!"

"Then take up Asami's offer and go for a swim." Korra's eyes flared, and Alex realized that he had crossed a line.

"If you're so up for it, you go for a swim!" the Avatar said before shoving Alex toward the pool. Both his and Asami's eyes went wide with horror as he tittered on the edge. In an instant, the heiress sprang forward and grabbed her boyfriend's outstretched arms. Throwing all of her weight backwards, Asami managed to keep Alex from falling into the pool.

"Are you crazy?!" Asami asked, spinning toward Korra. The Avatar's face had changed from one of embarrassment and anger to confusion.

"I...I don't.."

"You could have killed him!" Asami screeched. Alex placed his hand on her shoulder in an effort to calm her down.

"Asami, calm down, she doesn't understand," he said, his voice much calmer then that of his girlfriend's. Turning to the still confused Avatar, Alex began to explain.

"With my electric abilities, I'm vulnerable to water. Rain, taking a shower, things where the water is in droplets makes me weak. But total submersion? That could kill me, and everyone else in the water with me." Korra's eyes went wide as realization of what she had nearly done dawned upon her.

"I...oh spirits, I'm so sorry!" she said, horror in her voice. Alex gave her a smile of reassurance, showing that he held no ill feelings about it.

"Why don't you show them what you got set up out back? I bet they'd love that way more then a swim session," he said, turning to Asami. Kelly looked back and forth between them in confusion.

"What are you two talking about?" she asked. Asami flashed a grin that made Alex's blood run cold.

"We're gonna go for a little drive," she said. With that, Alex clapped his hands and slung the prototype over his shoulder.

"Welp, you kids have fun, I'll be in the lab if you need me," he said before darting out the door, leaving the others with the smiling heiress.

 _Just past midnight, the following night._

Alex absentmindedly turned an Equalist glove over in his hands as he looked it over through a magnifying glass. The past twenty four hours had certainly been interesting to say the least. Korra and Kelly had left in a hurry with Korra stuttering something about having to babysit. Twelve hours ago they had come back with Tenzin, Lin Beifong, and a warrant to search Future Industries on the grounds that the factory had been producing weapons for the Equalists.

Alex had gotten an ear full from his girlfriend about the entire situation. That was one of the main reasons he had stayed in his workshop for so long. The drama fest that was brewing between Asami, Mako, Kelly, and Korra was something he wanted no part of. But it had gotten him curious about the construction of the gloves, thus his reasoning for looking at one now.

"What the...son of a bitch," he said to himself as he looked closer at the glove. His eye had caught something along the inner workings of the glove's battery. It was small, but there was no mistaking the half gear that was the Future Industries logo.

Letting the glove clatter to the table, Alex sat back in his seat and released a breath he didn't realize he was holding. It may have looked like Hiroshi Sato was guilty, but he wasn't ready to make that judgment just yet. There were simply too many factors that he didn't know about. This could be an Equalist attempt to cover their tracks and frame Sato. Or, it could be that Sato's pride in his work had gotten the better of him.

Alex didn't want to believe that Hiroshi was an Equalist. The man had taken him in, given him shelter and asked for nothing in return. Not to mention he had no idea how it would effect Asami, and not that he wasn't grateful to Hiroshi for everything he had done, but the woman he loved took priority over everything else.

The door suddenly flew open, causing Alex to jump and turn towards the intrusion. Several metalbending officers swarmed into the workshop.

"What the..."

"He's got Equalist equipment, seize him!" Before he could react, Alex was wrapped in cables and lying on the floor The courier was dragged out into the yard before he could protest and thrown at the feet of Lin Beifong like a tied up cow.

"Chief Beifong, always a pleasure," he said, his voice laced with sarcasm.

"What is going on here?!" came Asami's voice from somewhere overhead.

"Chief, we found this one working with Equalist weapons in a workshop," one of the officers reported.

"Equalist weapons?! Honestly, just because someone's a non bender and they work with electricity doesn't mean they're an Equalist!" Alex shouted.

"We also found this," the officer said, handing over Alex's coat to the Chief of Police. Alex saw the recognition flash through Lin's eyes, and instantly felt his blood run cold.

"Chief Beifong, release him immediately, you have no right to do this," Asami said, her voice struggling to remain level.

"I'm afraid I can't do that Ms. Sato. As of right now, Mr. Chambers is under arrest for suspicion of acting as a vigilante," Lin replied, her eyes not leaving the prone courier.

"On what grounds?"

"This jacket," Lin said, holding up Alex's coat, "is the same one used by the vigilante that helped Avatar Korra and myself at the Pro Bending Finals. And it just so happens to belong to your boyfriend here."

"If this is how you treat people who help you, God save anyone you consider an enemy," Alex muttered into the grass.

"Even if you can prove that, why arrest him if he helped you?"

"Vigilantism is still a crime, Ms. Sato, regardless of the intent or the outcome." Out of the corner of his eye, Alex spotted Korra and Kelly making their way toward them. He started a mental countdown on how long he figured it would take for them to notice the situation he was in.

"Chief? What's going on?" Korra asked as they came to a halt and looked down at him.

"Hey Korra, Kelly, how nice of you to show. Me and Iron Maiden over here were just discussing the pros and cons of decent lawn care," Alex said, his voice laced with sarcasm and underlying rage as he tilted his head in Lin's direction.

"Mr. Chambers had been arrested on suspicion of him being the Electric Vigilante," Lin explained.

"You okay, Alex?" Kelly asked, looking down at her friend. Alex shot her a glare.

"Peachy, Kelly. Just fuckin' peachy."

"Language, Mr. Chambers," Lin said.

"Oh I'm sorry, I tend to forget my manners when I'm hog tied on a dew encrusted lawn at midnight. It happens when I get a little ABOSLUTELY LIVID."

"Sarcasm isn't helping your case any."

"Eat a dick, metal tits."

"Chief, the grounds are secure. No one has arrived or left since we got here," an officer reported. Lin acknowledged the officer before she turned to Tenzin, who had appeared next to her.

"Ms. Sato, we need to speak with your father," the councilman said. Although he couldn't see her, Alex could almost feel the irritation radiating off of his girlfriend.

"He's in his workshop," she said. Alex suddenly felt himself being haled upward and found himself face to face with the Chief of Police.

"Put some proper hand cuffs on him, then load him onto the airship," she ordered.

"Yes, Chief," said the two officers that were holding him by the arms. After a moment, Alex felt the cables that had been binding him fall away, only to feel the cold metal of handcuffs snapping down over his wrists. As this was happening, he finally got a good look at Asami. The heiress' eyes were puffy from unshed tears, and a combination of anger and hopelessness dominated her face.

"It'll be all right," he said, giving her a wink of reassurance and a small grin. The look on her face made it clear that he hadn't really gotten through to her. With that, the officers began to drag him away while Asami began to lead the rest of the group toward her father's workshop. They created a line of three, with one officer leading him while the second was directly behind him, keeping him moving forward. As they walked, Alex began looking for a way out of this situation. If he could get out of the handcuffs, he could easily subdue his captors and make a break for the mountains. But that meant he would have to slip past the workshop.

A new thought suddenly dawned on Alex as he ran his escape plan over in his head. Hiroshi Sato, from what he had seen in the months he had been living in the mansion, was a creature of habit. He was always in bed by Ten Thirty as he was usually required at Future Industries early in the morning.

So what was he doing in his workshop past midnight?

Something wasn't right here, and it wasn't just the fact that he was being arrested either. They were here looking for ties to the Equalists, or atleast that's what he could gather based upon what the officers had said. If they hadn't found anything at Future Industries itself, but still decided to raid the Sato Mansion, that meant they had some form of intelligence that suggested as such. And from what he had seen, Lin Beifong wasn't the type of person to act unless she felt that the information was solid.

"They've got something solid on Sato," he whispered to himself.

"What was that?" asked the officer in front of him over his shoulder. Alex took a few quick breaths through his nose. It was now or never.

"Nothing. You got the time?"

"I do, its..." the officer behind him started. He never finished, as Alex suddenly slammed his head backwards into the man's face. Hearing his partner cry out in pain, the leading officer spun around, only to have Alex's boot heel make full contact with his face as the courier roundhouse kicked him. With both of the cops blinded breifly, Alex leapt into the air and tucked his legs into his core while swinging his handcuffed hands underneath him like a backwards jump rope.

His hands now in front of him rather then behind him, Alex wasted no time in sending quick blasts of electricity into both officers, instantly knocking them out.

"Sorry boys, I know you're just doing your job," he said as he quickly patted them down for a set of keys. Finding what he was looking for, Alex undid the handcuffs and took off toward the workshop located high on the mountainside above the mansion. As he approached, he noticed the lack of metalbenders around the structure. Sure, the grounds had been secure, but that didn't mean that at least one should have been left outside to watch for the possibility of ambush.

Slowing his pace so that he wouldn't be heard, Alex crept up to the entrance and peaked into the workshop. The floor in the center of the room had been torn up, revealing a tunnel leading downward into the mountain. Asami, Kelly, Mako, Bolin, and a single metalbending officer were standing around hole, with the heiress looking shell shocked.

A loud bang suddenly echoed from the hole, catching both the attention of everyone in the room and the young vigilante.

"You hear that? We gotta get down there," said Mako.

"Absolutely not, the Chief said to stay put," the officer replied. Alex rolled his eyes before he strolled into the workshop like he owned the place. Before anyone could react, he grabbed the metalbender by the neck and gave off a decent shock, knocking the man out cold. Turning, he found himself being stared at by everyone else in the room.

"What?"

"We thought you'd be halfway to Police HQ by now," Kelly said. He simply shrugged.

"I didn't feel like going.

"Nice touch with the neck pinch by the way, Spock."

"Bite me." Making his way over to his girlfriend, Alex placed both hands on her shoulders and looked deep into her eyes. She still had a far away look in her eye, like she was trying process all that had happened so far.

"Asami? Are you here?" The heiress looked at him like she was just realizing that he was there for the first time.

"Alex..." she wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his chest. Alex returned the hug, holding her close and rubbing her back.

"None of this makes sense," she whispered, almost on the verge of tears. He kissed her once on the forehead.

"We'll get to the bottom of this," he said before he looked at the others around him, "any idea where this tunnel leads?"

"Chief Beifong said that it runs deep into the mountain side," Bolin reported.

"We need to get down there," Mako said, echoing what he had said earlier.

"I agree. Korra and the others are probably in trouble," Kelly added. Alex looked at them all before looking at Asami as well.

"Then what are we waiting for?"

* * *

"Load them into the trucks and take them to Amon!" Hiroshi ordered. Several Equailst foot soldiers began to pick up the slumped forms of the metalbending officers while the Industrialist and the Lieutenant looked on.

"The two that Tannan is after are not among them," the Lieutenant noted. Hiroshi waved his hand dismissively.

"It is of no concern. One is under my watch, while the other is always on Air Temple Island. We know where they are at all times. Besides, we have the Avatar and an Airbending Master. What better of a prize then that?"

"It would be better if we take Chambers down now. He could cause a lot of damage if left unchecked," the Lieutenant said. Again, the Industrialist brushed off his comrade's concerns.

"I'll personally turn him over to Amon when the time is right. His relationship with my daughter...if I don't handle this carefully it could backfire on all of us." A deep resounding bang came from the platinum wall behind the two men, causing them to jump and turn toward the sound of the noise. This was followed by another, and another. With each crash, another dint appeared in the wall.

Something was trying to break its way through from the outside.

"What kind of bending is this?" the Lieutenant asked as he drew his sticks and Hiroshi dawned a pair of electrified gloves. The banging continued a few more times before a horrific screech filled the air, causing everyone to cover their ears in pair. It was the sound of metal being torn from metal as a section of the wall bent outward like soup can being opened. From within the slit that was formed in the wall stepped Alex, Kelly, Asami, Mako, and Bolin.

"Damn, nice factory, Mr. Sato!" Alex called as he looked around the room.

"The Big Daddy ripoffs are overdoing it," Kelly added. Several mecha tanks began to roll forward, intending on capturing the group, but Hiroshi held up his hand as a signal for them to stop.

"Dad...why?" Asami asked. Though it all, despite all the evidence to the contrary, Asami had clung to the hope that her father was somehow innocent. It was clear now that she couldn't have been more wrong.

"Asami...I wanted to keep you out of this as long as possible. But now that you know the truth, please, forgive me. These people, these benders, they took away your mother, the love of my life," Hiroshi said.

"So financing the Avatar's pro bending team was just a way to cover your ass," Alex said, his having grown cold.

"Yes. And the hardest part of it all was having to watch my daughter traipse around with a firebending street rat like you!" the Tycoon spat. Alex and Asami stole a glance at each other.

"I'm not a bender, Mr. Sato."

"Ha! All your little experiments, your little tinkering and touching up in the garage, did you think I didn't notice what was going on? Why do you think I let you stay under my roof, even after you started dating my daughter?"

"You've been keeping tabs on me for Tannan."

"Oh yes. And the good doctor has promised me so much in the ways of technology in return for you and your little friend there." Alex was seeing red. Lightning danced between his fingers as his temper threatened to get the best of him.

"I...I trusted you," he said, his voice shaking. Hiroshi ignored the courier as he returned his attention to his daughter.

"Asami, I know what I've done is wrong. But Amon can make a better future for people like us. Please, join me," he said as he slipped one of his gloves off and offered it to her. The heiress stepped forward slowly, reaching out a hand and taking the weapon that was offered to her. Alex watched his girlfriend, his throat dry and heart pounding. Deep down, he prayed that he knew her as well as he thought he did.

"No..." Mako muttered in disbelief. Asami flexed the glove a few times, getting a feel for it. Then she looked at her father, and her expression turned hard as stone.

"I love you, dad," she said before pressing the glove into his chest and electrocuting him before he could react. As Hiroshi collapsed, the Lieutenant swung one of his sticks at her. But Asami caught his arm and twisted the baton around, zapping the man with his own weapon. Alex was the first to snap out of his shock, jumping forward and pulling her out of the way as a mecha tank fired an electrified cable at her.

"Mako, Bolin, get Korra and others! Kelly, help me cover them!" he shouted. The brothers raced forward, slinging Korra and Tenzin over their shoulders while they each grabbed one of Lin's arms and began to drag her along. A mecha tank moved forward to intercept them, but Kelly raised her hands, her face plastered with a look of concentration. The massive metal machine came to a halt and began to levitate. Metal screeched as she closed her hands into fists, causing the tank to collapse in on itself.

With a yell of effort, Kelly swung her arms to the side, causing the ball of metal to fly into a nearby tank, knocking it over onto its side. While the brothers and Asami quickly dragged the others back through the opening, Kelly and Alex faced down the remaining tanks and Equalists.

"Kelly, get ready to close that door you made," Alex muttered out of the side of his mouth. The bi-speckled teen nodded once to show she understood before she retreated with the others.

"Alex, come on!" Mako yelled. Alex glanced back over his shoulder.

"In a second," he said as the flood lamps hanging from the ceiling began to flicker, "Daddy's gotta let off some rage." The lamps began to shatter one by one as Alex took a deep breath, his arms crackling with electricity. With a yell, he threw his arms forward. A wave of electricity exploded from his body, racing outward and electrifying everything in its path. The mecha tanks seized up and shut down from being overloaded with power, while the foot soldiers screamed and collapsed into unconsciousness.

Panting from the effort, Alex fell to his knees. He had just unleashed one of the most powerful blasts he had ever created, and he was paying for it. Feeling an arm loop through his, Alex looked up to find Asami helping him to his feet.

"You're not very bright sometimes," she said with a small smile.

"I do what needs to be done. Now let's get the hell outa here."

 _Police Airship._

Asami looked down over the Sato Mansion, a forlorn look on her face. Nearby, Alex sat on a bench while recovering his strength. He watched his girlfriend with a sense of hopelessness, knowing that there was very little he could do to help her now.

"Kid." It was Lin, who was currently lying on a cot due to her injuries from the factory. Tenzin was kneeling next to her. Alex pushed himself to his feet and wobbled his way over. Kelly joined him at his side, both of them looking down at the Chief of Police.

"My metalbenders are on their way to Amon. Tarrlok is right, I've failed as Chief. First thing in the morning I'm turning in my resignation," she said.

"No, you can't give up like this!" Tenzin said.

"I'm not giving up!" Lin snapped as she forced herself to sit up, "I'm gonna find my men and take Amon down. But I'm gonna do it my way, outside the law. And you two are gonna help me." Alex and Kelly glanced at each other for the briefest instant.

"What makes you think I'd help you? You tried to arrest me tonight for doing what you're about to do right now," Alex said as he folded his arms.

"And that clearly didn't stop you from coming down and saving our hides. I know your type, Chambers. You'll keep trying to do what you think is right, no matter the consciences," she said. Alex remained quiet for the longest time, studying the city skyline. Finally, he looked back at Lin and Tenzin.

"Alright Chief. You want my help, you got it," he said. Lin nodded once in satisfaction. Looking on toward his girlfriend, Alex began to make his way over to her. Korra placed her hand on his shoulder, stopping him.

"Hey, thanks for what you did tonight. I know you didn't want to get involved in all this," she said. He gave the Avatar a tired look.

"It was bound to happen sooner or later, I guess. Look, don't worry about it. Friends help friends out Korra, even if they get trapped in a subterranean factory with overgrown diving suits," he said, his voice regaining some of his humor. Korra smiled at that.

"Mako and Bolin have already been invited to come stay on Air Temple Island, after what happened tonight, you and Asami are welcome as well," she said. Alex clapped her once on the shoulder.

"Thanks, Korra. That means a lot, really." With that, he made his way over to Asami and placed his hand on her back. The heiress jumped slightly at his touch, but threw her arms around him and buried her face in his chest when she realized who it was. Alex simply stood there and held her, watching the mansion he had called home for half a year get smaller and smaller.

"We'll get through this, I promise," he whispered.

* * *

"Asami? You okay?" Alex asked as he opened the bedroom door. He was wearing a white undershirt and a pair of shorts as his sleepwear. With the mansion now a crime scene, Asami had used her some of her funds to set herself, Alex, Mako, and Bolin up in a pair of sweets at the Four Elements Hotel. The two brothers were sharing one room, while the couple shared the other. Out of chivalry, Alex had taken the couch, while Asami got the bedroom.

The heiress was sitting in a chair in the far corner, a far away shell shocked look on her face. She was wearing a dark red dressing gown, and her eyes were puffy from crying. Alex crossed to her and knelt before her, taking her hands in his. She turned her head slightly and looked him in the eyes. There were so many emotions contained within her bright green eyes, the primary of which was hurt and loss.

"I want you to know that no matter what happens, I'm here for you," he said. It broke his heart to see her like this, and he wished he could do more. But she had to make it through this on her own, without his help. The only thing he could really do was just be there for her, and that's what he intended to do. Standing upright again, he kissed her once on the forehead before turning toward the bedroom door.

"Wait." Alex turned and found himself enveloped by a hug from Asami. He wrapped his arms around her, and she buried her face in his chest.

"Please, don't leave me alone," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I'm here, Asami. I'm not going anywhere," he said, his hand running up and down her spine in an effort to sooth her.

"No, I mean...stay with me tonight," she said. Alex blinked and pulled back a little so that he could look his girlfriend in the eye.

"You mean you want...tonight?" he asked, nervousness and worry suddenly flooding his entire being. Asami looked down between them in an effort to hide her embarrassment.

"I'm losing everything because of this Revolution. My father, my house, everything I've ever known," she said before looking up at him with a determined look in her eye, "I don't want to lose you too. Please, stay." Alex took a deep breath, and noticed the pounding of his heart in his chest.

"Your wish is my command, Ms. Sato," he said.

 ** _Smut warning._**

Asami wrapped her arms around Alex's neck and pulled him down into a kiss. It was soft and sensual, but it quickly grew into a heated exchange as the two felt their hunger for each other grow. Her hands roamed over his body, feeling the muscles in his upper arms, traveling up his neck into his closely cropped hair, even wandering over stubble that was forming on his jawline.

Alex's hands remained on her back, afraid to go anywhere else for fear of upsetting her. But he did leave a trail of kisses from her mouth down her neck to the satin edge of the gown she was wearing. Asami's eyes were closed as she savored the feeling of him kissing her so tenderly, silently begging him to go further when he reached the unspoken boundary.

"Are you sure about this? We don't have to if you're not ready," he said, breaking off the kissing in order to look her in the eye. Her bright green eyes filled with determination as she took a few steps back. At first, Alex worried that he had upset her. But then her hand went to the small draw sting that was holding her gown together around her waist.

"I'm sure. I want this, I want you," she said before undoing the knot and allowing the silk garment to fall from her body. She was wearing a pair of plain black panties, and nothing else. Alex's mouth went dry as he looked upon his girlfriend's nude body for the first time. Asami's cheeks flushed, and she used an arm to cover her naked breasts out of embarrassment.

"You look beautiful," he said, his voice barely over a whisper. Asami's cheeks turned even more crimson, but she gave a small smile at the complement. The two came together and began to kiss again. Feeling bold, he reached up and gently cupped one of her breasts. She gave a pleasant hum in response before grabbing the bottom of his undershirt and pealing it off.

Alex wasn't a chiseled god by a long shot, but his chest and core was solid from his daily exercise. Asami's hands roamed over his chest, enjoying the feeling of his muscles beneath her hands. Again, Alex began to kiss down her neck, only this time he continued down her collar bone and reached a point in the center of her chest, just above her cleavage.

Glancing up at her eyes and giving her a small grin, he suddenly bent down and took her nipple in his mouth. Asami let out a gasp as he suckled and bit down lightly on her hardening nub. Although he was inexperienced in this, Alex followed his gut and listened to the reactions that Asami was having. If she reacted well to something, he would step up the action that had caused it. With his free hand, he reached up and lightly pinched her free nipple

Asami's head fell back and she let out a moan as she savored the feeling. Her hand snaked its way down between them and cupped his growing hardness through his shorts. He responded by sucking and pinching a little harder. The heiress let out another moan, both as a response to his actions and her satisfaction at what she was feeling with her hand.

Spurred on by his girlfriend's movements, Alex moved his hands. One hand moved to the middle of her back to hold her in place, while the other moved down between her legs. His middle finger lightly traced her lower lips through the fabric of her already damp panties. A jolt went through Asami's body, and Alex took that as a sign to continue.

He continued to rub his finger between her legs while still suckling her breast. Glancing upward, he found the heiress looking down at him with wide eyes and an open mouth. Her breath was coming short and fast. Finally she grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him upward. He reluctantly released her breast from his mouth and stood up to his full height.

"Come here," she said, her voice husky before she kissed him again. It wasn't soft and tender like before, but rather hunger filled and passionate. After a moment, she broke off the kiss and sat on the edge of the bed. Alex's heart pounded as he saw the look of passion and heat in her eyes. His stomach filled with butterflies as she slid back slightly and spread her legs wide, planting her feet on the edge of the bed and giving him an unrestricted view of her nether regions.

"Won't be needing these," he said as he stepped forward and slipped her panties off in one motion. He didn't know where the boldness was coming from, but he was happy it was there all the same. Her thighs glistened with her juices as he began to rub against her again. Suddenly, Asami gasped and her eyes bugged out of her head. Alex watched her carefully before repeating the action. Again, she gasped and squirmed as he passed over a small hardening nub located on her folds.

He smiled at her reaction as he began to vigorously rub her clit. Her moans increased in volume, as did the tremors that passed through her body.

"Alex, I'm...Gah!" the heiress cried out as her body locked up. After a second, she relaxed, her breath coming in heaves. Alex stopped his actions and watched her intently. He had a good idea of what had happened, but his inexperience left him unsure. The look in Asami's eyes was one of satisfaction, combined with a lust for more.

"Won't be needing these," she said, echoing his earlier statement as she sat up and pulled off his shorts, allowing his member to spring free. She ran her hand up and down his length a few times before she leaned back and guided him to her wet folds. His throbbing head rested against her entrance, but he looked at her with concern.

"Are you absolutely sure?" he asked. His inner animal instincts were screaming in rage at him. But Alex loved her too much to not be concerned for her. It had to be her choice. Again, a look of determination crossed Asami's face. She brought her legs together around his waist, and with a deep breath she pulled him fully into her.

Alex gasped while Asami cried out at the feeling of them being joined for the first time. He bent forward and held her while she threw her arms around his neck. Her body trembled and his as they adjusted to the feeling.

"You okay?" he asked, looking at her. Asami's face was dominated by pain, but that was slowly fading away.

"I'm okay, go slowly," she replied. Fighting his urge to go all out, Alex began to move his hips back and forth at a slow and steady pace. He watched his girlfriend, ready to stop at an instant if something went wrong. But as he continued, he watched the pain disappear completely, replaced by growing pleasure.

"Mm..harder," Asami moaned. Alex complied, picking up his pace. Soon the lovers were drenched in sweat from their efforts. Asami was meeting his thrusts with thrusts of her own. The sound of flesh slapping against flesh filled the room, along with Asami's moans and Alex's grunts.

"'Sami, not gonna last much longer," Alex growled as he felt his loins begin to boil. Her response was to tighten her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck, bringing him in closer.

"I..AH..give it to me, don't hold back," she said, her voice containing desperation before she cried out with another orgasm. Her velvet walls clamped down around him, and with a grunt Alex released his seed deep inside of her before collapsing in exhaustion.

 ** _Smut end._**

The two lovers slipped under the covers and settled in for the night. Asami rested her head on Alex's chest while draping her leg over his. She listened as his heart beat returned to normal.

"That...was," Alex started, panting.

"Amazing," Asami finished, a bright but tired smile on her face.

"So I was good?"

"Practice makes perfect, Mr. Chambers," she said, smirking. With that, they scrunched down under the covers and savored the feeling of each other.

"Korra invited us to come stay on Air Temple Island," he said.

"That was nice of her. And a change in surroundings would be...nice." Alex sensed the underlying sadness in her voice. He placed a small kiss in the middle of her forehead.

"We'll get through this," he said.

"I know."

"I love you."

"I love you to." And with that, the young lovers drifted off to sleep.

 **And that's a wrap. This was my first attempt at any smut of any kind, hopefully it meets your guy's standards. Chances are there won't be another scene until the events of book two, as I am still new to this.**

 **On another note, gilgamesh777 asked me some questions regarding the story, namely the nature of Alex's inventing skills as well as his relationship with Korra. For those of you who were wondering: Alex has always been an inventor and a tinker of sorts. Now, regarding his relationship with Korra, I intend for Alex to remain with Asami until atleast the end of Chain Lightning. HOWEVER, I'll leave the choice of him staying with Asami or going to Korra in following stories to you, the reader.**

 **Do you want Alex to stay with Asami, or end up with Korra? Drop a review, leave a PM, send a smoke signal or something and let me know what you liked or didn't like, and I'll see you all in the next one.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey guys, I'm back with a new chapter. This chapter is a little shorter, but that's because it's kind of a filler. But, it's got some new information in it, so hopefully that makes up for it.**

The ferry glided gently across the calm waters of Yue Bay toward Air Temple Island. It's stillness was enough that even the most seasick person could enjoy the ride comfortably. Despite this, Alex could be found clinging to the central mast like a frightened child would cling to a parent's leg. Nearby, Asami, Mako, and Bolin found this situation to be rather amusing.

"I think you're overreacting just a little bit, this is calmest I've ever seen the harbor," Mako said. Alex simply glared and flipped the firebender the bird. Being on shore was one thing, but being in the middle of the bay where one wrong move could mean the end of his life didn't sit well with Alex.

"Easy for you to say, you're not the one that turns into a Tesla coil the instant you get into waist deep water," he replied.

"What's a Tesla coil?" Bolin asked.

"Not the time, Bolin." As the ferry pulled into the dock, they noticed Korra, Kelly, and the three airbending children waving at them from the dock. Both of the teens were wearing their Water Tribe parkas, as the coolness of Winter was beginning to set in and replace the mildness of Autumn.

"You're finally here! Welcome to Air Temple Island, your new home!" Ikki cried with excitement.

"Yes, welcome to my domain," Meelo added, pointing at himself with his thumb. Just as the acolyte crew of the ferry began to lower the gang plank, Alex grabbed his rucksack and bounded over the side of the craft, landing in the middle of the dock. In a flash, he was in front of both the Avatar and the bispeckled teen.

"Next time, you two are sending a sky bison. No ifs, ands, or buts!" he snapped before hurrying to where the dock met the island shore. The pair looked after him for a moment before returning their attention to the trio walking down the gang plank.

"Fear of water?" Korra asked, cocking her eyebrow and pointing with her thumb after the courier.

"Fear of falling overboard," Asami elaborated. Pabu, whom had been riding on Bolin's shoulder, scampered down to the dock, darted between Meelo's legs, before running up to Naga and touching noses with the large hybrid.

"What's that fuzzy creature?" the young boy asked, pointing after the red and white creature.

"That is a Fire Ferret. An arboreal mammal common to the bamboo forests of the central Earth Kingdom," Jinora explained to her younger brother.

HE'S CUTE!" Ikki shirked before giving chase to the small creature, chasing him around between Naga's legs. They watched this go on for a short time before Mako returned his attention to the others.

"Thanks for sending the Acolytes to help with the move," he said.

"Yes, they've been amazing. Such tireless workers," Asami added.

"You're just happy to have a little extra slave labor!" Alex shouted from the shoreline. The heiress smirked to herself while Korra and Kelly frowned. At that moment, a pair of Acolytes came down the gang plank, carrying a large stack of steamer trunks almost twice as tall as they were.

"I thought you were only bringing a few things," Korra said, her voice gaining a hint of nervousness as the pair reached the bottom of the plank and almost lost control of the stack. They quickly recovered, however, and began to march toward the Temple.

"Trust me, this is her version of traveling light!" Alex shouted.

"It's no problem, everyone here wants you to feel welcome," Kelly reassured the heiress. With that, the group began the journey toward the main Temple spire. Alex fell in alongside Asami, subtly taking her hand in his. After their time together the night before, the couple felt closer then ever. They hadn't left each others side since.

As they walked, Asami looked around, admiring the Island's natural beauty with a small smile. After the events of the past few days, she found the tranquility to be refreshing. But, as the walk continued, she began to notice the presence of eyes on her. Glancing to her left, she expected to find her boyfriend looking at her like he usually was.

Instead, Alex was looking up at the Temple, studying its architecture in close detail. Still feeling the eyes upon her, she turned her gaze to her right, only to find Meelo starring up at her with a crooked grin. Her smile disappeared as she looked at the boy with a questioning cock of her eyebrow. Using her elbow, she subtly nudged her boyfriend, turning his attention from the Temple to the young airbender.

"If you were a few years older, kid, you'd have the creeper look down perfectly," Alex said when he noticed the look plastered on Meelo's face.

"You're pretty, can I have some of your hair?" the boy asked, ignoring Alex completely and holding out his hand toward Asami. The heiress blinked and looked back to her boyfriend, who continued to stare at the boy.

"Seriously, not helping your case."

"Look's like Alex has a little competition," Mako said. Alex shot a glare toward the firebender, who simply grinned in response. As they reached the main plaza, Ikki leapt out in front of the group.

"And now for the grand tour! Down there is the caves where the flying bison sleep, and that's the Temple Grandpa Aang built, and over there is the greenhouses where we grow the vegetables that we eat," she said, pointing to each place as she named them off in rapid fire succession.

"I have a couple questions!" Bolin spoke up, almost as fast as Ikki had been talking,"is this an all vegetation island? Is that where you train airbending? Do we have to wear Air Acolyte clothes? Do we each get our own sky bison? And, final question, how many trees are on this island?" The young airbending girl stood silent with her finger on her mouth in thought for about three seconds.

"Yes, yes, no, no, ten thousand five hundred and fifty two." Everyone was looking at the young girl and blinked a few times in stunned silence.

"So where are we gonna be staying?" Mako asked, being the first to recover.

"You're a boy, boys have to stay on the boys side," Meelo said.

"I'd be happy to show you to the Mens Dormitory," Jinora added before beginning to lead them in the right direction.

"I'm a boy," Bolin said, quickly following the eldest airbending child and his brother. Alex, however, hung back by his girlfriend's side. He was looking at the walkway beneath their feet and lightly scrapping his boot. Until now, it hadn't occurred to him that he wouldn't be sharing a bed with his girlfriend, and he was reluctant to leave her side.

"Meelo why don't you go with the boys too," Korra said. The boy looked at the Avatar, and then the heiress, before his eyes finally settled on the courier.

"I shall challenge you for the right to this woman's hand!" he declared before running off after the others. Alex blinked a few times.

"I just got challenged to a duel by a five year old for my girlfriend. And this is not the strangest thing to happen this week," he said, earning a small giggle from Asami.

"Alex, why aren't you going with them?" Korra asked. Alex simply shrugged.

"I've been here enough times I can find my way around," he answered. It was true enough, but the main reason was he wanted to stay with Asami.

"Okay, well we'll show you where you'll be staying, Asami," Kelly said, leading them toward the Womens dormitory. The building in question was of a more traditional Asian style. As Alex expected the interior had sliding wooden and paper doors along with a hard wood floor. They walked down the hallway, with Kelly in the lead and Alex between Asami and Korra. Ikki appeared at the heiress' side.

"Asami, did you know Korra likes Alex?" she asked, as if she was asking Asami for the time of day. Korra's eyes went wide as her mind registered the question, and she turned toward the airbending child with a look of pure rage. Alex acted first, gently tapping his hand against the Avatar's. The static shock he gave off was enough to snap her back into reality and keep from annihilating the small child where she stood.

Asami failed to notice any of this as she turned toward Ikki.

"Oh, uh no, I wasn't completely aware of that," Asami said, clearly taken off guard by the question. Alex put his hand on his girlfriend's shoulder.

"Relax, Korra's just itching to find out which one of us is better in a fist fight. She's been pestering me about a sparring match since I got into that fight with Tahno," he said. While what he said was true, it was also a diversion. The two airbending sisters were notorious for probing for information regarding other peoples romantic lives. In extreme cases, they were known to drop little bits of information at the wrong times just to see the outcome. Alex had no doubt this was one of those times.

"But what about that time she was asking Kelly all those questions about you?" Ikki asked. Alex sighed before he looked at Kelly and cocked his head once at the airbender.

"Alright, come on. We still got lemurs to feed," Kelly said before she picked Ikki up and slung her over her shoulder. The airbender kicked and snarled like a feral animal as she was carried away, leaving the remaining three to look on.

"Anyway," Alex said after a moment, motioning for Korra to take the lead. The Avatar blinked and regained enough composure to lead them to Asami's room. It was small, a single bed in the corner, a lantern on a small night stand, a single octagon window with a view of the city skyline, a cupboard opposite the bed, and a small desk next to the cupboard.

"I know it's a little rustic compared to what you're use to," Korra said.

"That's an understatement," Alex muttered, earning an elbow to the ribs.

"I think it's charming, and the best part is, nothing here reminds me of my father," Asami said as she walked a little deeper into the room. Although he wasn't big on furnishings and decorations, Alex had to admit that he liked the room. It was small and simple, far more his speed then the grand furnishings that the Sato Mansion had. The paper and wood door, however, wasn't something he cared for.

At that moment, a knock came at the door. Korra whirled toward it with an angry fire in her eyes. Alex suspected that if she could, she would ignite it simply by glaring at it.

"Ikki, I swear if you don't leave us alone I am gonna..." she started, but stopped when the door slid open to revel Tenzin. Korra froze, her cheeks gaining some color.

"Tenzin, come right in," she said, mentally kicking herself. Alex snorted in amusement, earning a glare from her.

"Good day. Asami, Alex, welcome to the Island," the airbending master said.

"Thank you for having us," Asami said as she and Alex bowed out of respect. Tenzin returned the bow before directing his attention to Korra.

"Beifong's replacement as Chief of Police is going to be inducted later, I think we should both be there," he said.

"Master Tenzin, if I may, would it be possible for me to use some of your training grounds later?" Alex asked, speaking up quickly before he could leave.

"Just try not to...ignite anything," Tenzin said with hesitancy. He'd seen what the young man before him was capable of in Sato's factory, and was well aware of the risks. Alex gave a grateful smile and a bow. He had developed a large respect for the Air Nomad culture over the past several months, and to be able to work with it was going to be a great honor.

"I'll also need a workbench, if you have one," he added, earning a smirk from Asami and a cringe from Korra. Tenzin cocked his eyebrow at the young man.

"I'll see what we have," he said.

 _Dusk. That Evening._

Alex twirled his newly made staff in his hands, getting a proper feel for the new weapon as he walked back toward the Temple. It was a metal staff, roughly six feet in length and vaguely resembling one of the Mechanist's airbending staffs, although it lacked any of the extendable wings.

This was the result of an idea he'd been working on for a while now. Ever since the Attack on the Pro Bending Finals, Alex had been in need of a replacement for the baton he'd lost. A staff offered a longer range for him to strike with, more power behind blows, and it doubled as a walking stick if he felt like it.

Alex had worked on the staff ever since Korra and Tenzin had left. He had made it so that with a simple twist, he could break the staff down into two smaller batons for tight fighting spaces. He had also been practicing shooting electricity from the staff as well, using it as a channeling rod of sorts. Originally he had tried experimenting with wrapping a wooden staff with wire so that the electricity would be conducted. However, this just simply resulted in the staff bursting into flames.

This part of his work, though, had forced him to move far away from the main Temple, so as not to frighten or injure anyone. He had found a small, secluded beach overlooking the city skyline, and had spent the majority of the day there testing out his new weapon. Now he was on his way back to the Temple, letting his mind wander.

As he walked, Alex noticed the sound of soft crying coming from nearby. He paused and listened, trying to determine the location of the noise. It was coming from behind a set of bushes and trees that separated the path he was on from one of the island's many cliffs. Pushing his way though the vegetation, Alex found himself standing on a cliff overlooking the city skyline.

The statue of Avatar Aang stood proud in the failing light against the golden glow of the city behind it. Sitting with her legs dangling over the edge was Korra. Alex had never seen the Avatar looked so glum as she sat, staring off at the statue of her previous life with tears in her eyes.

"You alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine," she said, trying to sound more upbeat then she really was as she wiped tears from her eyes. Alex leaned on his staff.

"You're lying." The Avatar gave an irritated huff.

"Do you always have to call me out like that?" she asked.

"Yep. Always. So, what's troubling you? It's not what Ikki said earlier, is it?" Korra let out a depressed sigh and shook her head.

"It's not that, it's something Tarrlok said. Not to mention all the newspapers calling me the False Avatar. How am I suppose to save the city when I can't even learn airbending? I'm the worst Avatar ever. I just feel...alone." Silence fell between the two for a brief moment for the staff suddenly made contact with the side of Korra's head. The blow wasn't hard enough to cause any injury, but it was enough to get a point across and give her a small headache. Instantly she was on her feet, a fire burning in her eyes as she rubbed the spot where the staff had made contact.

"What was that for?" she demanded. Alex had returned to leaning on his staff as if nothing had happened, his expression remaining unchanged.

"Two things. One, you are master of not one, not two, but three bending elements. That alone makes you one of the most fearsome individuals in the world. So you can't puff some air, big deal, keep trying till you get it. Until then, kick some ass and remind people of what you can really do."

"But people don't think I'm the real Avatar. How am I suppose to defeat Amon if no one believes in me?" Korra asked. Again, the staff made contact with her head, this time giving a soft yet firm jab to the forehead. She reeled back from the strike but quickly recovered and looked at Alex with murder in her eyes. Again, Alex showed no fear.

"That was for interrupting. But, I'll answer your questions with a question; Why should you give a damn what anyone thinks?" Korra blinked in confusion.

"Huh?"

"You're the Avatar, not the people's champion. Your job is to bring balance to the world, and peace if possible. That means leveling the playing field, taking away advantages some people have over others. Toes are gonna get stepped on, people are gonna hate your guts. You might as well get use to it now," he deadpanned.

"I...I never thought about it like that," she said. Alex rolled his eyes.

"Shocker. Now, where was I? Oh yes, item two. You're no where even close to being alone in this. You've had friends and allies by your side even before you got to this city, and they're still willing to help you out no matter what. You wanna save the city? Quit sitting here on your ass and go do something," he said, pointing toward the skyline.

"KORRRRRAAAAA!" came Bolin's shout from somewhere on the other side of the tree line. Alex cringed at the earthbender's call.

"How long you been out here?" he asked. Korra shrugged.

"Long enough, apparently." He rolled his eyes again.

"BOLIN, SHUT THE HELL UP AND GET OVER HERE!" he shouted back. Mako, Bolin, Asami, and Kelly all slowly emerged from the bushes.

"There you are, we've been looking everywhere for you," the earthbender said.

"You okay?" Mako asked, noticing the red lines Korra's cheeks.

"Yeah, just a little pep talk is all," she replied.

"So. What are you gonna do?" Alex asked. Korra looked out over the city.

"It's time someone took the fight to the Equalists, other then just for a publicity stunt like Tarrlok's Task Force. As the Avatar, I guess that falls to me," she said.

"To us. You're out of your mind if you think you're taking on Amon alone," Kelly said.

"Yeah, the Arena may be shut down, but we're still a team. The New Team Avatar!" Bolin added before he held out his hand. One by one, the others added their hands to the pile until only Korra and Alex were left. With a smile, the Avatar added hers before they all turned to Alex.

"Let me see if I got this straight, we're gonna go out on a vigilante mission to stop or at least disrupt the Equalists while at the same time pissing off not only the cops but one of the most powerful and corrupt politicians in the city?" he asked.

"Pretty much." With that, Alex grinned and placed his hand on top of the others.

"Well, when you put it like that, how can I resist?"

 _Temporary Equalist Headquarters, Industrial District._

Doctor Tannan looked over his notes before peering through his microscope again. He was studying a set of blood samples like his life depended on it. In a way, it kind of did.

"You've been throwing yourself into your work a lot more then usual as of late, Doctor," came Amon's cold voice. Tannan only very briefly glanced up from his work to acknowledge the masked man.

"I believe I've uncovered the key to these strange abilities," he replied.

"I thought it was your experiment going wrong that caused this."

"So did I. But the more I thought about it, the more it didn't make sense. The three of us were contained within a Faraday cage, and therefore shielded from any form of electricity. Therefore, some other form of energy must be at work," he explained.

"I don't understand."

"I believe that it wasn't the energy from the explosion that unlocked these abilities, but rather the energy that exists in the barriers between worlds," Tannan said.

"You believe that the crossing gave you these powers?"

"Something within our genetic makeup that was dormant before was awoken when it came into contact with this energy. It became charged up, if you will. Hm, Charged, that's a good term to describe what we are, don't you think?"

"Is there something useful the Revolution can gain out of this, Doctor?" Amon asked.

"If I can find a way to replicate the barrier energy, I can create more Charged to fight against the benders. Or, if you wish, I can create a cure and eradicate these abilities. The choice is yours, my friend." Amon remained silent as he considered his options. On the one hand, he had seen what Alex and Kelly were capable of. To have an army with that kind of power at his disposal was tempting to say the least. On the other hand, the whole point of the Revolution was about Equality. To make everyone normal.

"Our mission is Equality for all. No one should have this kind of power, eradicate it," he ordered. In all honesty, this was the exact answer Tannan had expected from the masked leader. And the reason that he had taken precautions against it.

When he had first joined the Equalists, Tannan had sworn that he would surrender his power once the Revolution was complete. His true intentions, however, were far more sinister. Right now, Amon was just a means to an end. Soon, he would be ready for the final stage of his plan to become the most powerful individual on the planet, and he would no longer need Amon nor his short sighted Revolution. Not only Republic City, but the entire world would tremble before him. There were only things that stood between him and his goal. Or, to be more specific, two people.

Alex Chambers, and Avatar Korra.

If Tannan wanted to be a god walking amongst men, he needed these two out of the way, and soon. The Equalists, while loyal and having many resources, were proving time and again that they were still underestimating the teens. Their escape from the Mecha Tank Factory had proven that. Setting the microscope samples to the side, Tannan dawned his cloak and marched out into the night.

It was time he took matters into his own hands.

 **And cut, another chapter down! Hopefully you guys enjoyed this chapter.**

 **I was really stunned by the amount of response the last chapter had. The vote is in, and the vast majority of you want Alex and Asami to stay together. There were a few requests for a harim, but simply put, I'm not gonna do that. I never really did care for those.**

 **Now then, y'all know the drill by now: if you had a question or simply want to say what you liked or didn't like, drop a review, leave a PM, send a mirror reflection or something, and I'll send you all in the next one!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hey guys, back with a new chapter here. Wow, almost ninety reviews and over a hundred follows on this story as the posting of this chapter. Guys, once again I cannot thank you enough for your support. Without it, this story wouldn't be possible. Now then, on with the chapter:**

The garage door swung open, and a pair of headlights shone out into the failing light of the dusk. Alex, Kelly, Mako, Bolin, and Korra all took a step back as Asami revved the engine and brought the black convertible racer out into the night. The courier had rigged up a harness for his staff, which was currently resting across his back, ready for him to draw at a moment's notice

"Think this will do?" Asami asked, shooting a wink toward her boyfriend.

"I like the New Team Avatar style," Mako said as he looked the car over. Alex couldn't help but smirk at his girlfriend. She was always at her best when she was working on something or behind the wheel. Personally, he'd always found the former situation to be safer.

"I call shotgun!" Kelly said before she hopped the passenger door and landed in the seat next to Asami. The heiress cocked her eyebrow at her in confusion, while Alex sent her a glare.

"That's my spot," he said.

"Says who? I called shotgun."

"Asami is my girlfriend," he said as he folded his arms. The bi-speckled teen shrugged.

"We all make mistakes," she replied as she pushed her glasses back up her nose. Alex's nostrils flared.

"Kelly, you have three seconds to move before I break my size twelve boot off in your size two ass."

"You wouldn't hit a girl." Alex's eyes narrowed as his hand went toward his staff.

"Try me."

"Alright, enough you two. Alex, you know my rule about blood in the car," Asami said. Alex sighed as he conceded defeat.

"Yeah, yeah," he said before he climbed into the backseat with the others. It was cramped to say the least. Alex was sitting squished between Korra and Mako with his staff resting in his hands. An irritated look rested upon all three of their faces as Asami shifted gears and took off into the city.

"Maybe one of us should have ridden in the trunk," Alex muttered.

"You volunteering?" Mako asked.

"Na, we need a trunk monkey. Bolin fits the bill pretty well."

"Hey!"

"Don't get me wrong Bo, the trunk monkey is there for muscle and comic relief. You know anyone else in the car who fits that description?" The earthbender frowned at him before he shrugged.

"As a matter of fact, I do not." In the rear view mirror, Alex saw his girlfriend roll her eyes before she shifted gears and sped up a little.

 _"Unit Two Sixteen, cancel that 10-58 at Harmony Tower. Come back to the station, over."_ Everyone jumped at the sudden voice in the car and looked at the dash.

"My dad had police scanners installed in all of his cars. Guess now we know why," Asami explained. Kelly looked back at Alex.

"Any idea what's going on?" she asked, gesturing to the radio. He simply shrugged.

"Not one hundred percent sure if the codes are the same here. Back home, it meant that they needed someone to direct traffic at Harmony Tower," he replied. Everyone else gave Alex a bewildered look.

"You know police codes?" Mako asked.

"Yeah? So what?"

"Is this cause you were a vigilante?" Bolin asked. Alex shot the earthbender a scowl.

"First of all, that was never proven. And secondly no, my mom was a police dispatcher for a while," he said, a hint of sadness creeping into his voice as he mentioned his mother. Although he rarely talked of where he came from, Alex still had a few things that he missed back home, one of them being his mother.

"Ah, a police kid eh? Is your dad a cop?" Bolin asked. Alex's face fell as he looked at the floor between his feet.

"No...he...he was a soldier," he said. Kelly looked back again from the front seat, this time sending a look to Bolin that made it very clear he should change the subject.

 _"Calling all units, Level Four Alert. Jailbreak at Headquarters. Officers down, electrocuted. Chi blockers and Equalist convicts are still at large, armed and dangerous. Last seen headed east. Repeat, Level Four Alert, Equalist Jailbreak."_ Everyone looked at the radio in shock. Asami suddenly slammed on the breaks as a truck and several motorcycles barreled through the intersection.

"That's them!" Mako shouted, pointing after the truck. Asami changed gears and floored it. The car's tires squealed as they took off after the Equalists. Horns blared as the truck charged forward into oncoming traffic. Several vehicles spun out in an effort to dodge them. With the calm, well oiled precision of a professional, Asami weaved the car around the other vehicles, easily catching up to the rear of the Equalist column.

Mako stood and extended his arm, firing a bolt of lightning at one of the motorcycles. The Equalist driving the bike lost control and fell while Bolin began to move his arms in quick, sideways chopping like motions. Instantly several bricks were torn up from the street and slammed into the back tire of a second Equalist, who also lost control.

Noticing the loss of their comrades, the two remaining Equalist cyclists flipped switches on their handlebars. Smoke instantly poured out of their exhaust pipes, allowing them to create a smoke screen. But Asami was ready for this. She quickly lowered a pair of goggles over her eyes, giving her the ability to see through the smoke. Ahead of them, the truck and the bikes suddenly veered to the right.

"Bolin, Korra, help me make this turn!" she said. The two quickly bent a curving ramp of rock from the street, allowing the racer to make the turn. Asami quickly shut off the headlights when the Equalist tail lights came into view.

"They don't know we made the turn. Get ready." With that, the heiress shifted gears and floored it. The car raced forward and burst out of the smoke bank, slamming into the back of the two remaining Equalist motorcycles.

Rather then fall, the two riders leapt into the air and landed on the car itself. Mako instantly thrust his fist forward with a bolt of fire, attempting to hit one of the chi blockers. But the one he had been aiming at dodged the blast and ensnared the firebender's extended arm with his bola before yanking him forward.

In a flash, Kelly jumped into the fight, driving her fist into the Equalist's arm. The man yelled in pain and released Mako, but his partner quickly came to his rescue by landing several jabs into Kelly's arm and side. She cried out as she collapsed back into her seat, completely paralyzed. A metal staff suddenly made contact with the side of the Equalist's head, causing the man to go rag doll and topple from the speeding car.

Alex, whom had raised his jacket's hood, moved with the grace of a cat, slipping between the front seats and bounding over the car's windshield. The remaining Equalist tried to jab him with a few quick punches, but Alex blocked these with his staff. With professional grace, he brought the staff down against the Equalist's mask before quickly reversing the swing, striking him with an uppercut from the staff's other end. Losing his balance, the remaining Equalist fell from the car.

Leaning back against the windshield, Alex grabbed the top of the frame with his right hand while his left gripped his staff. There was only the truck left now, and he didn't want to risk accidentally falling off the car at this speed.

"Get me close!" he shouted over the wind, looking back at Asami. The heiress nodded before shifting again. Alex both felt and heard the engine roar beneath him as the car chased down the truck. He quickly stood up right as the car came alongside the truck. The driver was giving him a bewildered look. Alex shot him a grin before he twirled the staff and swung it like a baseball bat.

Arcs of electricity and sparks danced about as the metal made contact with the front of the truck. After a moment, the truck's engine exploded, causing the hood to pop off and black smoke to pour out of the compartment. The truck's driver lost control, and the truck flipped onto its side. It slid a short distance before coming to a complete stop by slamming into a light pole.

Asami quickly brought the car to a halt, and everyone was out in an instant, ready for a fight. Even Kelly, who's chi blocking had worn off, was standing with her hands poised to strike. The Equalists came tumbling out of the truck, dazed and confused. When they saw the group, they knew it was over. Alex smirked as he stood tall on top of the car's hood, his staff held at a downward angle behind his back, but at the ready all the same.

"Gentlemen, way I see it you got two choices. You can surrender, or you can fight. Either way, you still go back to jail, but option two sees you get the ever loving shit beat out of you. Which will it be?" the hooded vigilante asked. The Equalists all looked at each other before weary raising their hands in surrender.

"That's what I thought."

* * *

The continuing flash of cameras was almost blinding. Mako, Asami, Bolin, Kelly, and Korra were all standing in a line looking rather proud of themselves behind the row of Equailst prisoners, who were kneeling with their hands tied behind their back. Alex was standing a short distance away, leaning back against a brick wall with his hood still up and his arms folded. His right foot was raised off of the ground and pressed against the wall while his staff had been returned to it's harness on his back.

Alex didn't like attention, didn't like the limelight. That was why he wasn't posing with the others. It was also why he had threatened to hospitalize any of the reporters if they took his picture. His prior work as a vigilante already had the police curious about him. With Tannan still at large, it was best not to bring any more attention on himself then what there already was.

The sound of sirens filled the night as several police vehicles rounded the corner. Alex took the toothpick he'd had hanging from the corner of his mouth and tossed it on the ground. Several times, he'd considered taking up smoking in order to cope with the stress of his life. But Asami had treated to beat him to a pulp if she ever caught him with cigarettes, so he'd stuck to toothpicks.

 _'How is it that a horde of reporters is able to get to a scene faster then the fricken cops? This makes me feel SO much better.'_

"Avatar Korra, what do you think you are doing?" It was Tarrlok, and he looked furious.

"Oh, hey Tarrlok. Nice of you to finally show up. We caught those escaped convicts for you," Korra said, gesturing to the row of prisoners. It was clear that the Avatar was enjoying herself.

"What you did was tear up the city and impede the real authorities in their pursuit of these criminals." Korra raised her eyebrow.

"Hm, that's funny. I didn't see your little task force or the cops the whole time," she said before folding her arms and looking at her fingernails, "If it wasn't for Team Avatar, they would have gotten away."

"Kinda hard to impede someone who's not there, Councilman," Kelly added. Tarrlok's eyes flared with fury.

"This is your last warning," he said, pointing threateningly at Korra, "Stay out of my way!" With that, he turned and stormed off as the police loaded the last of the prisoners into the trucks and drove away. Having watched the exchange from afar and now with everyone else leaving, Alex pushed off of the wall and rejoined the others.

"Well, I'd say this was a good first night," he said. Korra couldn't help but smile.

"Not bad, not bad at all. Let's call it a night, head back to the Island and get some rest," she said. Everyone else happily agreed.

 _Dumpling stand, the next night._

"So why a staff of all things?" Mako asked. He, Bolin and Alex were leaning against the front of the car, eating their dumplings while Kelly, Asami, and Korra leaned against the trunk.

"Well, I always had this obsession with Donatello in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. So my parents enrolled me in a bojutsu class when I was a kid," Alex explained through a mouth full of food.

"What's a Teenage Mutant Ninja thingy?" Bolin asked.

"Honestly, Bolin, I have no idea how to explain it to you."

"So you chose a staff because its what's familiar to you," Mako stated, pushing past his brother's question. Alex nodded before he ate another dumpling.

"Yeah. I suck at stick fighting, apparently, cause Fu Man Fucktard almost handed me my ass at the Finals. A staff has a longer range, and I can channel and aim electricity through it more easily. Any more questions?"

"You gonna finish your dumplings?"

"Bolin, I will lightning rod you in the face." At the back of the car, the girls were having a conversation of their own, although it was much more quiet and uncomfortable.

"So, if you don't mind me asking, why don't you and Alex talk more about your home?" Asami asked. Kelly looked down into her box and poked at a dumpling with her chopsticks.

"There's not really a lot of good memories for either of us. For me, at least, its easier to focus on what good we have now," she said.

"Tenzin is always telling me that the first step in letting something go is to talk about it," Korra pointed out, "we're your friends, Kelly. You can talk to us." Kelly sighed, but didn't look up from her box.

"Alright, what do you wanna know?"

"Anything. Your family, your hometown, something," Asami said.

"There's not much to say, really. We're both from a small town, and we've known each other since kindergarten. My dad ran off when I was five, and my mom's been a drunk and an ass ever since. I guess that's why I took to Alex's family, cause I didn't have much of a home life."

"What's Alex's family like?" Korra asked. Kelly shrugged.

"They're alright I guess. His mom and his sister are real nice. I didn't know his dad very well. He was always being deployed somewhere, being an Army Ranger and all." Asami narrowed her eyes a little.

"Both you and Alex always talk about his dad in the past tense," she pointed out.

"He was killed in Afghanistan about five years ago."

"Oh." Both Korra and Asami shot a look of sympathy toward Alex, who was currently dueling Bolin with a pair of chopsticks over a dumpling while Mako looked on, barely able to contain his laughter.

"Alex never really got over it, but he learned to accept it and move on. I think that's why he does a lot of the stuff he does, cause he's trying to honor his dad's memory by doing the right thing," Kelly continued.

 _"All available units, please respond to the fifty six hundred block of Dragon Flats Borough. Equalists have taken to the streets, consider them armed and dangerous. Proceed with caution."_ The sudden crackle of the radio caused all of them to jump.

"Alight ladies, break time's over," Alex said. They all piled into the car and sped off toward Dragon Flats. As they began to draw closer to the reported area, they noticed that the night was far darker here. None of the lights in the buildings were on, not even the street lights. Overhead, several police airships were circling about, their spotlights shining down over the city.

"Why is the power out?" Korra asked, watching the dark buildings as they rolled by. As they rounded a corner, Asami slammed on the breaks and Korra got her answer. A large crowd was standing before a police barricade. A line of metalbenders were standing at the ready should things go south. Asami quickly shut the car off and took off her driving goggles.

"Wait, these people aren't armed or dangerous," she said.

"All non benders, return to your homes immediately!" It was Saikhan, Lin's replacement as Chief of Police.

"As soon as you turn the power back on!" someone in the crowd shouted. Several cries of approval went up at that.

"Return to your homes, or you will all be arrested!"

"You benders can't treat us this way!" shouted a woman who was holding a child in her arms. Her other child tugged on her skirt and pointed toward Korra.

"Mommy, look, it's the Avatar!"

"Please, if you really are the Avatar you have to help us!" Korra pushed her way forward and addressed the crowd.

"Everyone please stay calm, I'll get this straightened out!" she called. Alex had his hood up and was at the back of the group as they followed Korra toward a command tent. Tarrlok was standing outside the tent entrance, issuing orders to several cops and task force members.

"Tarrlok! You need to turn these peoples power back on, now!" Korra said sternly.

"Avatar Korra, you and your little band have no business here," Tarrlok replied.

"We're not going anywhere. You have no right to treat these innocent people like criminals!"

"This is an Equalist rally, there is nothing innocent about them!" Tarrlok shouted, pointing at the crowd.

"They're not Equalists, they're just people who want their rights back," Asami said.

"They're the enemy! Round them up!" Instantly several metalbenders planted their feet and raised their fists. The barriers rose from the ground and encircled large portions of the crowd. Those that weren't trapped quickly turned and fled into the night. As the circles began to levitate with massive hunks of rock beneath them, Korra ran forward and bent two of the boulders back into the ground.

The people contained within the barriers saw their chance, slipping under the metal beams and fleeing into the darkness. Enraged by Korra's continued defiance, Tarrlok turned and bent a whip of water around Asami's wrist. The heiress pulled back, struggling to get free.

"Let me go!"

"You're under arrest." The water whip was suddenly snapped as Alex smashed it with his staff. Turning, he leveled the staff at the Councilman.

"On what grounds?" he asked.

"She's a non bender out past curfew and her father is a known Equalist conspirator. Speaking of which, arrest him and his four eyed friend! They're non benders out past curfew as well!" Tarrlok ordered. Kelly used her magnetism to deflect the cables that came her way, while Alex used his staff.

"You can't do that!" Mako shouted.

"Arrest him and his brother!" Neither Alex or Kelly could do anything as the brothers were coiled up by the police and pulled in along with Asami.

"Tarrlok!" Korra shouted as she bent two large boulders out of the ground and held them aloft. A three way stand off developed between the Avatar, the pair of teens, and the police. Tarrlok looked at Korra like she was a child that needed to be reprimanded.

"Unless you want to join your friends in prison, I suggest you put those down and go back to the Air Temple," he said sternly.

"Korra, listen to him, it's not worth it," Mako urged. Thunder rumbled in the sky as Korra reluctantly dropped the boulders. Asami glanced at the sky in confusion. There hadn't been any rain in the forecast for this evening. In fact, up until a few minutes ago, there hadn't been a cloud in the sky. Inky blackness swirled above them now, illuminated with a glow from the distant city lights and the occasional bolt of lightning.

Looking down at her boyfriend, Asami realized that he was the angriest she had ever seen him. Even with his hood up, the look of rage on his face was clear and present. It was a wolf like snarl, and it sent chills up her spine.

"Arrest them!" Tarrlok ordered, pointing at the remaining pair.

"Alex run! We'll be fine, save yourself!" Asami shouted. For a brief moment, he looked torn. Part of him wanted to run, and part of him wanted to stay. Then the officers fired their cables. Kelly reacted first, swinging her hands wide and causing the cables to veer off course in all directions. Snapping out of his trance, Alex gave his staff a quick twirl before he slammed one end into the street.

A wave of electricity raced out in all directions. Several cops cried out as their armor became electrified, and the spotlights they had set up exploded. Grabbing Kelly's wrist, Alex turned on the balls of his feet and ran as fast as he could into the nearest ally. Korra could only look on in defeat as her remaining friends were loaded into the back off one of the trucks that hadn't been zapped by the energy wave.

"So sad to see your little Team Avatar broken up," Tarrlok said as the trucks began to pull away.

"This isn't over, Tarrlok," Korra hissed.

"Oh, I believe it is," the Councilman replied before he walked away smugly, leaving Korra to look at her boots.

 _Police Headquarters. Three hours later._

"Hey, get back here!" Korra shouted at an intern, who simply ignored her and walked away. She slammed her fists into the top of the counter before turning and finding herself face to face with Tenzin.

"I came as fast as I could. Are your friends alright?"

"I don't know, these jackasses won't tell me anything!" The Airbending Master blinked in surprise at her use of course language. Despite her fiery personality, Korra rarely used swear words. The fact that she was cussing now was a testament to the current situation.

"I'll handle this," he said as he caught sight of Saikahn. The Chief of Police noticed the Councilman looking at him and quickly tried to duck away, but Tenzin's voice caught him.

"Saikahn, a word please."

"Councilman Tenzin, I'm swamped at the moment, can this wait?"

"I'm afraid not. Three of Avatar Korra's friends were wrongly arrested tonight, and two more have wrongly accused."

"All Equailst suspects are being detained indefinitely until its determined if they're a threat or not. As for the other two, a warrant has officially been issued for both of them on the grounds of resisting arrest, assaulting officers of the law, and being suspected Equalists."

"Those people are still entitled to due process."

"You'll have to take that up with Councilman Tarrlok," Saikahn said, eager to get away from them.

"Oh I plan too. At the Council meeting first thing in the morning," Tenzin replied.

"You're the worst Chief of Police, ever!" Korra snapped before she moved toward him. She was like an attack dog going for the jugular. But Tenzin's arm stopped her.

"Korra, we'll get this sorted out. We just need to be patient," he said before turning to leave.

"But you really are the worst. Ever!" he snapped back over his shoulder.

 _Alleyway, near Dragon Flats._

Alex crouched in the shadows behind a set of trash cans, motioning for Kelly to do the same. They both watched as a police cruiser slowly drove by with its lights on. Despite their 'clean' getaway, the two had been hounded by the police for the past few hours. The fact that Alex had been chased by the cops before was the only reason they hadn't been caught yet.

"Alright, I got some supplies stashed just around the corner. You stay here, and I'll grab it real quick," Alex instructed. Kelly simply nodded, choosing to stay quiet rather then speak out loud. She watched as he slunk along the alley wall like a cat, peaked around the corner, before slipping out of the alley and out of sight.

Kelly held her breath as she waited for him to return. Her heart beat in chest as the minutes ticked by. Slowly, another cruiser past by, this time shining a spotlight down the alley. She quickly ducked back, avoiding the beam of light. For a moment, the light illuminated the alley. Then, darkness returned as the cruiser moved on. Kelly breathed a sigh of relief, before a hand suddenly appeared over her nose and mouth.

"Hello, Ms. Masters." Kelly's eyes went wide as she was hoisted into the air and pinned against the wall. Standing there with a cloak on and hood over his head was Tannan.

"It's taken me quite a while to find you. But in the end, I succeeded where the Police and the Equalists have failed," he said. Kelly tried to say something, but her words were muffled by the Doctor's hand. Her hands gripped his wrist, trying to free herself. But he was strong, impossibly strong.

"You surprised me that day in the Police HQ. But I won't be making that mistake twice. And now, you have something that I need," he hissed. Kelly began to make a choking noise as she suddenly felt tired. It was like all her energy and even her breath was leaving her body. She kicked and thrashed about, trying to get free. But she couldn't break Tannan's iron grip, and her movements got slower, and then stopped all together.

Tannan studied the teen as she hung limp in his grip for a moment. She was a lot younger then his other victims, and he almost felt sorry for her. Almost. Releasing his grip on her, he watched as the lifeless body fell to the ground. He flexed the fingers on his right hand, savoring the feeling of new power surging through his body.

"One down, two to go," he said to himself before he vanished into the night. After a few minutes, Alex returned with a small potato sack over his shoulder. He frowned when Kelly didn't immediately great him.

"Kelly?" he asked into the darkness, hesitant and on edge. He inched forward until he finally found her body slumped against the alley wall. Instantly, he dropped the sack and was at her side, slapping her cheeks lightly and checking her pulse.

"Kelly? Kelly, come on stay with me! Kelly!" His cries fell on deaf ears. Overhead, thunder boomed in the night sky as Alex began to break down. Tears were starting to form as stared into her eyes, hoping, praying for some sign of life.

Only vacant, lifeless eyes looked back at him. Alex pulled her head into his chest as he began to cry. Throwing back his head, he screamed into the night. It was a gut wrenching cry, filled with rage and sorrow. Overhead, the heavens broke out into a lightning storm, as if mother nature was answering the teen's wails.

 _Air Temple Island, Dawn._

Tenzin was racing to get dressed. He had just gotten a phone call about Korra being kidnapped by Equalists at City Hall. He was heading there now to coordinate the search and rescue effort. As he opened the door to his family's private living quarters, he found himself face to face with an Air Acolyte.

"Oh! Councilman, I'm sorry to disturb you, but it's a matter of great importance," the man said.

"Can it wait? I have to get to city hall immediately."

"Well, sir...I think it's best that you see for yourself." With that, Tenzin followed the Acolyte out into the courtyard. Kneeling in the center of the Yin and Yang simple was Alex, with Kelly's lifeless body cradled in his arms. His face held a distant look, like his mind was a million miles away. Seeing this, the airbender instantly raced forward.

"Alex, what happened?" he asked before kneeling in front of the teen. Alex slowly turned his head and regarded him. His storm gray eyes seemed vacant.

"Tannan," was all he said, his voice soft and weak. Tenzin quickly called for some Acolytes, who came and took Kelly's body away. Then, he placed his hands on Alex's shoulders and tried to get him to focus.

"Alex, I'm really, truly sorry for your loss. But, I'm afraid I have more bad news, Equalists took Korra last night," he said. Alex let his words wash over him. The moment they registered in his mind, a fire returned to his eyes. In an instant, he was on his feet with his staff in hand.

"Alex, where are you going?"

"I already lost one friend, Tenzin, I'm not going to lose another."

"You should rest."

"I'm not going to rest. I'm going to find Korra, and then I'm going to find Tannan," he said before he paused and looked back at Tenzin, "And when I do, I'm going to kill him."

 **And that's a wrap! I know, I just love my cliffhangers don't I?**

 **Now for an important announcement. Chances are its going to be a while before the next chapter is posted. The reason for this isn't because I'm vanishing or going on vacation or anything like that. Honestly, I'm so poor I couldn't get out of sight if it took a quarter go around the world. Nope, the reason is because I'm doing something new.**

 **The next chapter is going to be a collaboration between myself and Avatar Conner. And boy oh boy do we have something special planned. In the mean time I plan to work on some of my other projects.**

 **Anyway, you all know the drill. If you have a question, or want my head for killing Kelly off, or just want to say something in general, drop a review, leave a PM, send me a telegram or something! Let me know what you liked or didn't like, and I'll see you all in the next one!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hey guys, I'm back with a new chapter. Honestly this was up quicker then I thought it was going to be. Both Avatar Conner and myself worked really hard together to come up with this. Hopefully you guys find this as entertaining as we did writing it.**

"Answer. The. Fucking. Question." Alex said, driving his fist into the mask of an Equalist with each word. The man gurgled a response, as his face was mostly caved in from the vigilante's blows.

"We already told you, we're just foot soldiers, we don't know where Avatar Taun or Korra are! I'm not even sure the Equalists even attacked city hall!" a second Equalist said. Both he and the Equalist Alex was currently punching were tied to a pair of metal support beams in an abandoned warehouse.

"Bullshit!"

"It's the truth, I swear!" His companion let out an affirmative moan, agreeing with him. Alex sighed before he released his hold on the Equalist and began to walk away. He wasn't going to get anything else out of these two, that much was clear.

"Hey, wait a second, you can't leave us here!"

"Can, and will," was the cold reply before he walked out of the warehouse, leaving the man to scream after him. He hadn't slept for over twenty four hours and he was drained physically, mentally, and emotionally. Kelly's death weighed heavily on his mind. He could still see her lifeless eyes staring at him, still feel the weight of her body as he carried her in his arms.

It was a maddening, soul crushing feeling. He wanted nothing more then to beat Tannan into a bloody pulp, or climb into a bottle and stay there. Right now, either one of those plans sounded good to him. As Alex walked, he kicked a stone and watched it bounce down a side alleyway. Suddenly a blue light erupted out of no where, illuminating the dark alleyway despite the mid morning sun.

Alex immediately came to a halt, drawing his staff out of caution as the light faded. Walking forward with the staff at the ready, the young vigilante peered into the gloom. There was something about the light that seemed familiar, disturbingly familiar. Like the blinding light that had gotten him here in the first place.

The first thing he noticed as he got closer to the source of the light was the smell of ozone in the air. It was incredibly strong, like a bolt of lightning had just struck. The second thing he noticed was the figure that was sprawled out on the ground. It was male in appearance, somewhat on the thin side, and wearing a black and red suit.

Grabbing the masked man by the shoulder, Alex rolled him over so he was on his back. Like the light, he was getting a feeling of recognition as he looked him over.

"I've seen you somewhere before, haven't I? Or something similar to you anyway," he said, thinking out loud more then anything. As he squatted next to the prone figure, his eyes took notice of the black spider on his chest. Sighing, he looked down between his legs before he looked up again. He was way too tired for this.

"Figures. I get stranded in a parallel world, get stuck with lightning powers, and now a fuckin Spider Man cosplayer get's dropped in my lap," he muttered before slapping the masked man upside the head a few times, "Hey, Parker, wake your ass up." The figure groaned and rolled over onto his hands and knees.

"Shake it off, it's just your bones, your muscles, your organs," he muttered to himself. Alex remained silent as he studied the newcomer. The voice and body build suggested that the person wearing the mask wasn't quite into his twenties yet, which meant that he wasn't that much older then himself.

"Warehouses? There aren't any warehouses in Dragon Flats," the man said as he looked up at the buildings around him.

"That's cause you're in the Industrial District, genius," Alex said. The masked man's head snapped toward him at the sound of his voice. Alex could almost see the gears turning behind the mask as the two stared each other down.

"Industrial? How did...? Next time, I'm taking the trolly," he said, looking at a small necklace that hung around his neck before pushing himself to his feet with a groan. Alex stood along side him, holding his staff at an angle behind his back, yet still at the ready.

"So you're familiar with Republic City," Alex stated, mostly to himself.

"Oh yeah, born and raised," the masked man replied as he rolled his shoulders and neck, popping out some cricks.

"Who are you?"

"What? You don't recognize me?" The look on Alex face clearly showed he wasn't amused.

"Parker, or Morales?" The masked teen cocked his head to the side.

"I'm sorry, what now?"

"I'm asking who you're suppose to be under that mask. Parker, or Morales?"

"Parker, you mean Peter Parker?" Alex rolled his eyes so hard that his head followed with them.

"For a cosplayer, you're incredibly thick. Peter Parker or Miles Morales, the two main guys who appear as Spider-Man, which one are you suppose to be?"

"Um, neither? Wait, that reminds me, did you see a guy come through here with me? Long dark hair, red eyes, black coat?"

"You're the only one the light show left behind, wall crawler."

"Look, I'd love to stick around, but I got a vampire wannabe to hunt down," Spider-Man said before he leapt into the air and fired a web line at a nearby rooftop. He didn't get very far, as Alex leveled his staff and fired a bolt of lightning.

Instantly, he cried out in pain as electricity coursed through his body. He lost his grip on his web line, and toppled head first into a group of trash cans. Alex stalked forward with his staff pointed at the figure, ready to discharge another bolt if need be.

"Ouch. Electro? Why didn't you introduce yourself sooner?" the webhead asked as he pushed himself to his feet. A quick strike across the cheek from Alex's staff forced him back to his knees.

"Do I look like any fucking incarnation of a Spider Man villain, ever?" he snapped.

"Man, you have anger issues," the masked teen said, holding his head in pain with both of his hands.

"No, what I have is patience that is wearing incredibly thin. Now talk, what is a cosplayer doing here?" Alex asked, holding his staff up.

"Cosplayer? Why do you keep calling me that?"

"Because Spider Man is a comic book character, ya nit wit. He's not real, doesn't exist."

"Not real?" the wall crawler poked himself in the chest a few times, "I feel real enough." Alex moved to strike with his staff again, but the masked teen noticed this and quickly threw up his hands.

"Wait, wait, wait, not necessary! Just calm down," he said.

"Tell me your name, your real name," Alex said.

"You know that kind of defeats the whole point of the mask, right?"

"Listen, shit heel, you just dropped out a blinding light wearing the suit of a comic book super hero that hasn't even been introduced in this world. I'm not in the mood for the smart assed retorts, I want answers."

"Hasn't been...what do you mean? Everyone in Republic City knows about Spider Man," he said in confusion. Alex placed a toothpick in the corner of his mouth before leaning on his staff.

"Not in this version, they haven't."

"This version? What are you saying?"

"What do you think I'm saying?" Alex asked. The webhead remained silent as he contemplated Alex's words.

"Look, is there someone around here I can talk to? Avengers? Fantastic Four?"

"Closest thing you got to a powered freak in this city is me."

"You?"

"Yeah. Me. Now if you don't mind, I got places to be," Alex said before he turned away, slipping his staff into its harness on his back. Ordinarily, Alex would have been compelled to help the guy get his barrings at the very least. But his foul mood wasn't doing him any favors, and his constant dodging of questions wasn't helping either.

"Wait! What's your name?" Alex stopped and glared back at the masked teen.

"Seriously?"

"Hey, if I'm going to stop the guy trying to take a bite out of me, I'm going to need all the help I can get," he reasoned. Alex folded his arms.

"A name for a name then. You tell me yours and I'll tell you mine."

"I..um..."

"That's what I thought. Bye."

"Wait, where are you going?"

"To get a drink, bye," Alex said.

"You're going to walk away from someone that needs help just to get a drink?"

"No, actually. I'm going to get a drink, and then I'm going back out to look for the Avatar," Alex said. Spider Man visually stiffened at that. He leapt over Alex's head and landed in front of him, blocking his path as he landed in a crouch.

"What happened to Korra?"

"Some Equalists asshats kidnapped her last night, I've been tracking down leads all morning trying to find her," Alex said. He wasn't overly impressed with the acrobatics, he'd seen plenty of that from the Equalists. Spider Man remained silent and still for a long time, so long in fact that Alex started to wonder if he'd been frozen.

"Alright then, how about a trade?" Spider Man finally said, "A name for a name, and information for aid. See, I can rhyme too."

"Go on..."

"I know where Korra is. I'll tell you her location, and in return you help me," he said. Alex sighed and placed his hands on his hips.

"Alright deal. First names only though." Alex held out his hand to shake, which Spider Man took.

"Jason."

"Alex."

* * *

"Do you have any idea how ridiculous this looks?" Alex asked. They were in a dimly lit bar, with only a few other patrons and the bartender. The bar itself was in the center of the room, with booths lining the outer walls. To their right was a raised area where patrons could dance and a small house band could play. As for the vigilantes themselves, they were sitting side by side, with Jason still in full costume while Alex had taken his hood down.

"I have an idea," came the reply as the bartender, a short young woman with long black hair, sat a bottle of ruby red liquid down along with a pair of shot glasses.

"You know, you could have changed into regular clothing and drawn less attention to yourself," Alex said as he pulled the cork from the bottle and filled both glasses. The masked teen sitting next to him just stared. He couldn't see the other vigilante's face under the mask, but he figured that there was some form of glare being sent his way.

"Just saying, running around in a full body latex suit all day isn't exactly the most subtle way to go about."

"It's not...oh never mind." Alex simply smirked as he slid one of the shot glasses to him. He downed his own shot in one go, slamming the glass back down on the bar when he was done. Jason pulled his mask up to where it was just above his nose. He hesitantly sniffed the liquid before he took a drink. Instantly he was coughing, sputtering, and trying to catch his breath.

"Oh God that burns," he sputtered. Alex cocked his eyebrow at the other vigilante as he filled his glass again.

"Seriously? You want me to help you hunt down your little pal AND I have to teach you how to drink? You're not making a very good case for yourself," he said.

"Never..drank..before," Jason gasped before pulling his mask back down. Alex's look softened a little at that.

"Huh, maybe shouldn't have started you out with Dragon's Bite then," he said, casting a glance at the bottle before he sat it back on the bar.

"So why are we here?" Jason asked, regaining his breath.

"Information. If your little friend is hiding somewhere to recuperate, chances are someone in the underworld has seen him."

"Maybe I should go to Air Temple Island and get Tenzin."

"Won't do you any good, he's not there," Alex said before downing another shot. Jason remained quiet as he looked on at his new found partner.

"If you don't mind me asking, why are you drinking so heavily?" he asked as Alex poured another shot.

"Maybe I'm part electric eel and I'm really thirsty," he replied before downing another shot. Even with the mask, he could feel Jason's gaze boring into him. Finally, he sighed as he refilled his glass again.

"A friend of mine was killed last night. I'm just trying to cope," he said.

"Drinking yourself to death is not the best way to handle grief," Jason said pointedly. Alex merely shrugged. Across the room, Alex's friend Han appeared in the gloom. He scanned the barroom for a moment before spotting his friend and crossing over to him.

"Alex! It's been a while, haven't heard from you," he said as he leaned against the bar.

"Yeah, Han. I've been busy, lately," Alex replied.

"I figured as much. I can't say I'm overly happy to see you, though. I'm out a hundred yuan now," he said as he picked up Jason's shot glass, filled it, and downed it. Alex paused in the middle of raising his glass to his lips, his gray eyes narrowing.

"No, you didn't," he said before he sat the glass down and stood up. He stepped back a few steps and looked over a chalkboard that hung above the bar.

"You bet I'd get pinched by the cops," Alex said, a hint of disbelief in his voice. Han shrugged as he filled his glass again.

"You'd gone missing. And that hot girlfriend of yours wasn't in mourning or out looking for you so you weren't dead. I figured it was a fifty fifty shot you got pinched," he said.

"After all the shit I've done for you? Motherfucker, you're the world's worst friend."

"Skip to the point, Alex, what do you need my help with?"

"We're looking for someone. Black hair, red eyes, goes by the name of Morlun," Jason said. Han cast a wary glance at the masked vigilante.

"Who's he?"

"Just answer him," Alex said.

"I haven't heard anything about anyone matching that description, but I did hear some whispers about Avatar Taun," Han said. Alex felt a fire burn deep within his gut at the mention of his nemesis.

"What have you heard," he said, his voice overly calm and steady. Both of the other two young men sensed the underlying rage, and were instantly put on edge.

"He's been moving around a lot on his own. Like he's hunting something, or someone," Han replied ominously. Alex took a deep breath through his nose in an effort to calm himself.

"Thanks, Han," he said.

"Where's my payment?" the water tribe courier asked. Alex glared at him, and the lights above the bar began to flicker.

"Right here," he replied before grabbing Han by the back of the head and slamming his face into the bar. Instantly, the courier collapsed to the floor, blood running freely from his broken nose.

"You have some serious anger issues," Jason said after a moment of silence.

"I cope by drinking," Alex said before he downed his shot and threw a small wad of yuans on the bar, "come on, we need to get to city hall and relay where Korra is." Jason stood and together they began to walk out of the bar. Just before they stepped outside, Alex stopped and turned back to the other vigilante.

"You might want to think about getting a change of clothes before we go there," he said. Jason cocked his head to the side in a questioning manner.

"Why, is there something on my suit?" he asked. Alex rolled his eyes.

"Look, numb nut, I'm not sure how the police operate in your version of Republic City, but in this one they frown upon vigilantism big time. It's not exactly the best idea in the world to go wandering into City Hall wearing a gimp suit," he said.

"Oh trust me, there are other ways of getting in besides the front door."

 _City Hall._

"Well, at least he actually has the powers and isn't just some nut in a suit," Alex muttered to himself as he stalked toward the council chambers. He could sense Jason's life sign somewhere overhead, hiding on the ceiling. As he walked, his eyes took in evidence of a fight of some sort that had occurred.

Large sections of stone and concrete were shifted about, and a crater dominated the center of the room like an earthbender had preformed a landing. A few Equalist bolas were wrapped around a few of the support columns, and several investigators were swarming over the room for bits of evidence. In the center of it all stood Tenzin, who was studying the scene with his hand on his chin.

"Councilman," he greeted.

"Alex, what are you doing here? I thought you were out hunting for Korra," Tenzin said, stunned by the former courier's appearance.

"That's why I'm here, actually."

"You have to be careful, remember there is still a warrant out for your arrest."

"The Avatar has been kidnapped, Tenzin, I doubt they'll care about little ole me," Alex shot back. Tenzin sighed before he gestured for the vigilante to follow him. The airbending master led the way into what he assumed was his personal office. Alex felt Jason's life sign moving, and purposely held the door open a little longer so the webslinger could slip into the office undetected.

"We can discuss things more privately in here," the councilman explained before he took a seat behind his desk.

"Right, so I'm just gonna get right too it. I don't think the Equalists took Korra," Alex said as he leaned forward on Tenzin's desk.

"Tarrlok claims they did. He says that they attacked him and Korra last night, and there is enough evidence in the main Council chamber to back him up," Tenzin replied.

"But something doesn't feel right about his story, does it?" Alex could clearly see the doubt enter the man's eyes.

"I'll admit, I do have some questions, but it's not enough to go on," he said.

"The Equalists are playing for keeps here, Tenzin. If they're bold enough to attack City Hall and manage to subdue both a Councilman and the Avatar, why would they leave the Councilman behind?" Alex asked. He could see the gears turning in Tenzin's head, and he knew that his words were sinking in.

Before he could speak on whatever was going through his mind, the sound of the office door opening stopped him. Turning, Alex saw Lin, Asami, Mako, and Bolin enter the room. The former Chief of Police was wearing a gray trench coat over her metalbending armor. Alex pushed off of the desk and walked toward Asami, who had picked up her pace to get ahead of Lin. The two met with Alex sweeping her up in a hug.

"Lin? What are you...you should be in the hospital! And you three should be in prison!" Tenzin said, ignoring the young couple.

"I figured you could use our help finding Korra," Lin replied.

"Do you have any leads?" Mako asked.

"I've been on the phone all morning, but I've come up with nothing. Mr. Chambers, on the other hand, seems to think he's found something," Tenzin said. All eyes turned toward Alex and Asami, who were currently resting their foreheads against each other with their eyes closed. This continued on, until Lin cleared her throat, gaining the couple's attention.

"You got a lead, kid?" she asked.

"Something like that," Alex replied.

"Wait, where's Kelly?" Bolin asked, looking around the room. Alex looked at his boots, a resigned sadness in his eyes.

"She's dead." The four newcomers in the room gasped, with Asami covering her mouth in horror.

"Tannan got to her last night," he explained. Asami hugged her boyfriend again.

"Alex, I'm so sorry," she said. He simply returned the hug, kissing her once on the forehead. With a sigh, Alex swallowed his grief and returned to the task at hand.

"We can mourn later. Right now, we need to find Korra," he said.

"He's right. Now, what's this lead you're talking about?" Lin asked.

"I've been scouring the Underground all morning and came up with nothing. I don't think that the Equalists took her."

"What makes you so sure of that?" Mako asked.

"The evidence Tarrlok presented doesn't make sense, and I've got a lead saying that Korra is being held in a cabin in the mountains." Lin held her hand up to her chin in thought.

"He has a point. Why would the Equalists take Korra but not Tarrlok? It doesn't make sense," she said.

"Cause they weren't there at all." All eyes turned toward the sound of the new voice, which was coming from the ceiling. Jason was reclining in a web hammock like he was in a sunny park, not an office.

"Who is that?" Tenzin asked.

"Seriously? Does no one get the point of the mask?" Jason asked. Alex rolled his eyes.

"He's a friend...kinda. Jury's still out on him being a jackass," he said.

"Bite me, sparkles."

"Can we focus, please?" Asami asked.

"Right. So long story short, Tarrlok is Yakone's son and a bloodbender and he has Korra in a metal box in a cabin in the mountains outside the city," Jason said.

"That's a pretty bold accusation," Tenzin said.

"How do you know all this?" Lin asked. Alex could almost see the masked man roll his eyes.

"What part of long story short didn't you get?"

"Probably all of it, Iron Maiden here isn't exactly known for her grasp on language skills," Alex said, ignoring the glare from the older woman in the process.

"It wouldn't hurt to ask him. Tarrlok is still out in the main Council room," Bolin said.

"Right, lets go," Jason said before he dropped from his hammock and landed in a crouch before casually strolling out the door. Alex followed, along with everyone else.

"You are way too calm for this," Alex commented. Jason merely shrugged.

"Eh, I've seen all this before, I know what to expect. It's kind of nice to experiment and mix things up actually," he replied. He didn't need his Spider Sense to feel the glare Alex was sending his way.

"Nice to know that my version of reality is an experiment."

"It won't change much, trust me.

"You're still an asshat."

"Speaking of which, what's up with you and Asami?" Alex blinked and looked at the other vigilante questioningly.

"She's my girlfriend. I thought that was obvious," he said.

"Wait, she and Mako aren't dating?"

"No...why?"

"Oh, no reason," Jason said quickly, "Ten foot pole, Jason, ten foot pole." Alex continued to give the wall crawler a strange look as they walked into the main chamber. Tarrlok had finished with the healers, and the vast majority of the police had long since cleared out, leaving the room virtually deserted.

"Ah, Tenzin, hows the search for..." the Northern Representative never finished as Jason calmly walked forward and promptly punched him in the face. Tarrlok flew backwards, smashing through a desk before slamming into the table where the Council sat, crushing it in the process.

"Oh man, you have no idea how good it feels to do that!" Jason said.

"Subtle," Alex grunted as he folded his arms. Before anyone else could speak up, a groan came from the downed Councilman. Tarrlok pushed a section of shattered desk off of himself before he stood upright.

"Assaulting a member of the Untied Republic Council is a federal offense," he said before thrusting his hand outward. An ice spike sailed through the air at Jason's head, but the masked vigilante easily dodged, flipping into the air and landing in a hand stand on one of the seats.

"Missed me!" Tarrlok snarled before snapping his wrist. A water whip formed and smashed the chair, but Jason flipped through the air again, easily dodging the attacks.

"Missed again!" he jabbed, landing on the edge of the shattered Council desk. Tarrlok brought his fist down, snapping the whip in a downward motion. Jason dodged again, allowing the whip to splinter the wood he had just been balancing on.

"Two out of three?"

"That's does it!" the Councilman roared, throwing his hands upward. Instantly Jason froze and cried out as he was bloodbent. Everyone else in the room had their eyes bugging out of their head in shock. There was all the proof they needed. Alex, who had already figured out Jason's plan to rouse Tarrlok into a fury, calmly raised his hand and fired a bolt of lightning.

Tarrlok screamed in pain as he collapsed to the floor, his body arcing with electricity. Jason fell to one knee, panting as the pain from being bloodbent faded away. He stood upright and sent a weak thumbs up in Alex's direction, who waved him off like it was nothing.

"I'd say that's all the proof we need," he said. Lin quickly bent some metal restraints onto Tarrlok in order to keep the bloodbender from using his abilities when he recovered.

"Well, now that Tarrlok is taken care of and we know where to find Korra, you think we could...what, why are you doing that?" Jason asked as Alex began nodding his head, indicating something that was behind him. Alex, who was a few inches taller then Jason, simply placed his palm on the top of his head and turned him on the spot.

There, standing atop what was left of the Council desk, was Morlun.

"Oh." Without a word, Morlun covered the distance between them in the blink of an eye, driving his fist into Jason's face. The haymaker sent the wall crawler flying, smashing through a bench and slamming into a support pillar.

"I'd really approve if you'd jump in, jackass!" Jason yelled as he got back to his feet and faced Morlun. Alex blinked in surprise at the speed of the attack. Instinct took over and he drew his staff, swinging it in an arc like a lumberjack splitting wood.

Morlun easily sidestepped the shaft before he slammed his palm into Alex's chest. The courier turned vigilante felt the air rush out of his lungs as he was forced backwards. He landed with an unpleasant grunt and slid for a short distance across the polished floor. Alex sat up partially, gasping like a fish out of water as he tried to get air back into his lungs.

"This does not concern you, do not interfere," Morlun said, glaring down at him before he turned straight into a right hook from Jason. The webslinger wrapped his legs around Morlun's midsection while he repeatedly drove his fist into his face. Alex felt a pair of hands wrap around his upper arm. Looking up, he found Asami standing above him.

"What's going on?" she asked, looking toward the battling pair. Morlun drove his fist into Jason's chest, dislodging him and sending him skidding across the floor.

"We gotta help him," Alex said as he got to his feet with her help.

"Why? He looks like he can handle himself," Lin said, cringing as Jason tried to hit Morlun with a piece of wood, but was driven into the floor as his target sidestepped and drove a downward punch into his face.

"Chief, he helped us, we gotta help him," Alex replied. Lin let out an irritated sigh.

"Fine. Asami, the lockup is this way," she said before leading the heiress out of the room. Alex cracked his neck before leveling his staff and firing a bolt of lightning into Morlun's back. He was forced to one knee with electricity arcing over his body, but was back on his feet in an instant, turning toward Alex with murder in his eyes.

"Um. I wanna rethink my actions." Morlun covered the distance between the two of them in a flash, driving his fist in an uppercut into his chest. Alex was sent flying into the balcony overlooking the Council chamber, a few of his ribs cracking in the process.

"Alex!" In an instant Mako, Bolin, and Tenzin went full out and attacked Morlun, throwing everything they had into their bending attacks. Alex sat up, shaking his head in an effort to clear his vision. He'd been punched many times in his life, but never hard enough to send him flying ten feet into the air.

Standing, he looked down on the battle below him. The three benders were throwing their respective elements at Morlun while Jason was shooting web globs. At the far end of the room, Lin and Asami reappeared, with Asami spinning the crank on the lightning rifle prototype. Instantly, the former chief of police was hurling large chunks of stone and concrete at their enemy while Asami crouched behind what little remained of the Council desk. She balanced the prototype against the wood, taking careful aim at Morlun before squeezing the trigger. A loud zap noise filled the air as the bolt of lightning flew from the rifle to it's target, striking him dead center in the chest.

Despite all the hits he was taking, Morlun was still not going down. Taking a deep of breath as his cracked ribs would allow, Alex looked upward at the lights that hung from the ceiling. Raising his hand, he took another breath and closed his eyes. Several popping sounds filled the room over the noise of the battle as the light bulbs exploded. Arcs of electricity flew into Alex's fingertips, and he cringed as he felt his ribs heal themselves.

Below, he watched as Jason shot a pair of web lines into Morlun's chest before shooting himself himself at his enemy like a sling shot. He planted both of his feet into Morlun's chest with all of his might, but he grabbed Jason's legs and flipped him before pinning him to the floor. The others held their fire, not wanting to risk hitting Jason by accident.

"You will not stave off my hunger any longer," he said menacingly as he gripped Jason by the throat.

"Give..you..indigestion," Jason managed to croak out. Morlun opened his mouth, and a light appeared as he began to feed on Jason's life force.

"Uh uh, not twice in twenty four hours," Alex muttered to himself. With a twirl of his staff, he jumped from the balcony, swinging it in a downward motion. He landed with a pulse of electricity exploding outwards in all directions, separating Morlun from Jason in the process. Alex wasted no time as he turned and promptly drove his fist into Morlun's face. A sharp crack filled the air due to the energy discharge, and both of them were left staggering.

"Gah! Such impurity!" Morlun spat, sounding like he had just taken a bite of tofu when he was expecting steak. Alex felt drained, falling to his knees and leaning heavily on his staff. He threw his hand outward in an effort to throw another bolt of lightning, but this time nothing happened. The former courier looked at his hand in shock before trying again, yet still getting the same results.

"This is not over, Spider," Morlun said, pointing down at Jason before he vanished in the blink of an eye.

"Yeah, you better run," Jason said tiredly as he tried to sit up. The others were starting to congregate around them as he got to his feet. His suit was torn and burnt in some spots. Overall, it looked like he'd been attacked with a pair of scissors and a blowtorch.

"Hey, you alright?" Jason asked, noticing Alex's state of affairs as he leaned on his staff. For the first time since the two had met, Jason saw a look on his face that he was beginning to wonder if he'd ever see on the vigilante.

It was borderline panic, mixed with cold directionless fear.

"I can't throw lightning. Jason, I..I can't throw lightning," Alex said, looking up at the masked teen. Jason reached down and slung his arm around his shoulder, easily taking the other vigilante's weight despite his own injuries.

"Keep it together, man. We're no where near out of the woods yet."

 **And that's a wrap. This was the first part of Avatar Conner and my crossover. He posted his own version of this chapter if you want to read this from Jason's point of view. If you want Jason's full story, I recommend that you guys go read 'Legend of the Spider Man'. Seriously, as of the posting of this chapter Conner has damn near eighty chapters, and he's done one hell of job putting the story of Spider Man into the world of Legend of Korra.**

 **Now, on a different note, I have a request to make of you dear readers. If there are any artists out there who wants to do a drawing of Alex, please PM me.**

 **But aside from that, you all know the drill. Drop a review, send a PM, use an ouiji board or something! Let us know what you liked or didn't like, how we did, and I'll see you all in the next one.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey guys, back with a new chapter, and I'm proud to say much sooner then usual! Now I know that the last chapter got some mixed feelings, (with one of you wanting a certain bad guy dead), but I ask you to bear with me just a little longer. With that, on with part two of two of the crossover:**

"Okay…so let me get this straight." Korra started. She pointed to Jason, whom still in full costume.

"You're from another world?! How is that even possible? There's only one earth!" She proclaimed, her head trying to wrap around what Alex and Jason told her.

Lin, Tenzin, Mako, Bolin, Alex, Asami, Jason, and Korra all stood or sat around the living room of Air Temple Island. Tenzin and Lin retrieved Korra from Tarrlock's cabin in the mountains. She had been on the verge of tears when she learned of Kelly's fate, but Alex had brought her back from her grief after explaining what was happening.

"I'm starting to get the feeling that you haven't been paying attention for the past six months," Alex said, a little annoyed at this point.

"Well not exactly. See, there's this thing called the Multiverse theory, it states that there are multiple Earths occupying the same space and time, only they exist in different dimensions." Jason said, ignoring Alex's statement.

"Like Star Trek." Alex added offhandly. Jason looked at him questionably.

"The hell is Star Trek?"

"Something you're better off not knowing about." Alex said, noting how little time he had to explain.

"Okay, how about this; in my world, there are dozens of superheroes like me, all of them having different powers," Jason supplied, "And also I'm about seven months ahead of you guys, I went through all this already."

"Which is why you knew Korra was in the mountains?" Lin asked. Jason made an iffy motion with his hand.

"Sorta. I wasn't a hundred percent sure. Since this is an alternate dimension she could have been held up somewhere else. I mean, even then Korra may have found her own way out of there," the hero supplied. Bolin was scratching his head in confusion, but Mako, Korra, and Asami seemed to be keeping up though.

"So wait, do you know me in your home? Any of us?" she asked. The entire room looked at him expectantly.

Jason wasn't completely sure if he should tell them, if they haven't met their version of him yet it could change things way off course than the way that things need to go. But he didn't need to be specific.

"Yeah, I know all of you. Well, except Alex, he's new," he explained. Asami looked at her boyfriend curiously.

"But wait, how do you know about him?" she asked. She was well aware of his experience with the multiverse, but that didn't exactly explain why he knew this masked hero.

"Back home, Spider-Man is a fictional character in a comic book. It was Kelly's favorite," he said, thinking back to the collection of comics his departed friend had. He frowned slightly, but he regained a smile when he thought back to how she complained about some stupid thing called One More Day. Bolin looked between him and Jason.

"Wait, so you're an actual superhero? That's so cool! What are your powers? How did you get them? I need to know man!" he said, grabbing Jason by the shoulders and shaking him dramatically. The one blue eye that was exposed from a shattered goggle looked at Bolin with a deadpanned expression.

"I kinda stumbled backwards into my powers, got bit by a spider with something wrong with it, next day I got super powers, blah blah blah, great power must also comes great responsibility." he summarized. "Now any other questions?" Alex raised a hand.

"Here's one, what the hell do we do now?" he asked for everyone in the room. All eyes turned to the masked teen, waiting on an explanation.

"Look, I made a mistake asking Alex to help and look where it got him."

"Hey, fuck you. I'm not totally defenseless," Alex replied.

"Which is why I can't ask any of you to help me out, this is my fight. If Morlun even touched any one of you then you could be killed instantly. I can't ask you all to risk your lives." he went on, ignoring Alex again.

"Okay first off, the vampire wannabe nearly killed you! How do you…..expect to…." Alex said before he trailed off. It was slowly dawning on him that Jason fully expected to die in his next encounter with his enemy.

"Can I speak with you in private for a moment, you too, Korra," Alex said before leading the masked teen and the Avatar into the next room. As soon as the door closed behind the trio, Alex slapped Jason upside the back of his head, hard.

"You stupid, short sighted, son of a bitch. If you think you're going off to face that asshat alone after dragging me this far down the rabbit hole, you got another thing coming."

"That goes for me too," Korra chimed in, making both the young men look at her.

"I don't know who or what this Morlun guy is. But he sounds a lot like Tannan, and since we don't know where he is, beating the crap out of this guy is the next best thing," she said, slamming her fist into her palm.

"And if you wanna help me, you'll stay out of this fight," Jason said, "Look, Morlun may be a problem now, but you still have Amon to deal with." Alex sighed as he folded his arms.

As much as I hate to admit it, he's right. The Revolution needs to stay our main focus," he said. Korra looked displeased at the answer before Jason quickly added, "This is a single battle, and it's not even part of your guy's war." Korra sighed in defeat.

"Fine…...are you this annoying to your version of me?"

"You mean the voice of reason to her hotheadedness? Yes. Yes I am." Jason said, making Alex cover his mouth to hold back a snicker. As much as he hated to admit it, the webhead was just as good as pressing someone's buttons as he was.

"Hey!"

"Oh come on, you even admitted it…..well, future you did…...I hate alternate universes." the hero muttered in annoyance. Alex rolled his eyes.

"Tell me about it, look, me and Spidey will head back to the city and hunt him down. You stay here in case he decides to show up, or Tannan comes looking to add an Airbender to his list of victims," he said.

"You called me Spidey. Are we bonding?" Jason asked with mock excitement. Alex glared at him.

"You just had to ruin it by talking, didn't you? Now we're back to square one, dumbass," he said, smirking slightly.

"Sparkle butt," Jason replied, making Korra roll her eyes at the two of them.

"Get a room, you two."

"Oh, you'd like that, wouldn't you?" Alex shot back. The Avatar looked at him with fire and brimstone in her eyes. Jason, seeing the look of pure destruction, took a hasty step backwards. But, Alex simply tapped his index finger once into the center of her forehead, clearly showing that he was either completely unfazed by her look, or he simply didn't care in general.

"We got other things to worry about then you trying for time number four," he said. Korra gave a huff, but remained quiet. With that, he turned and led the trio back out into the living room.

"Korra will stay here in case Morlun or Tannan decide to show up, we'll head into the city and hunt him down," Alex explained. Asami have her boyfriend a worried look

"And then?" Alex rubbed the back of his neck, looking away.

"I don't know, I'm making this up as I go," he said, realizing just how bad the situation was.

"And that, ladies and gentlemen is how it feels to be me,"Jason said. Asami closed the distance between herself and Alex and kissed him. He happily wrapped her in a hug as he returned the kiss. After a moment, the two broke apart and rested their foreheads against each other.

"Be safe," she whispered.

"It's kinda weird…seeing them like that," Jason muttered out of the corner of his mouth to Korra, who cocked her eyebrow at him.

"I thought you said there wasn't a version of Alex where you come from."

"I did."

"So then, if Asami and Alex never got together in your world, who did..."

"Okay, if we're gonna do this, let's get going before we think about it too much," Jason said, hurriedly interrupting Korra. Alex reluctantly parted from his girlfriend before the two of them left for the Male Dormitory. After walking a short distance, Alex looked at his partner curiously.

"So what is our first step?" he asked, sounding a little desperate as he and Spider-Man made their way to his room. The place looked relatively clean, considering that most of the stuff inside remained where it landed when first tossed from the doorway. Needless to say, Alex hadn't spent a single night in here, but rather had slipped over to Asami's room each night that he'd actually slept on the Island. He motioned to a set of spare clothes that lay on the bed as he slid his staff into it's harness before picking up the lightning rifle.

"Figure it's better than walking around in tights."

Jason nodded as he pulled his mask off. Alex was surprised at how normal looking the other teen was beneath the mask. He had wild brown hair, blue eyes, and a light tan to his skin. If he had passed him on the street, Alex would have never guessed what he was capable of in a thousand years.

"Well, Peter apparently killed this guy twice, and he's back for round three. So even if we dropped a building on him he may just come back for more." he explained as he pulled a pair of gray pants on over his costume.

"Okay, so killing him means he'll just respawn, he's too think headed for us to knock him out to capture him, so what's the play?" he asked, trying to think of a solution. Alex wracked his brain. Something about this whole thing was bothering him. Morlun...Morlun, he knew he'd heard that name before all of this started.

"Oh! I'm thick! I'm dumb and I'm thick! I need a bigger memory drive!" he said suddenly, slapping his forehead a few times. Jason shot him a confused look as he pulled a shirt over his head.

"Something you wanna share?" he asked, confused.

"I knew I'd heard that name before! Morlun was Kelly's favorite Spider-Man villain! I could never get her to shut up about it!" Alex said excitedly.

"So, wait, you know how Peter beat this guy?" Jason asked. Alex nodded with a bright smile, but then suddenly frowned.

"You're frowning. I don't like this," he said.

"I know how he beat him. We've got two options. Option one isn't available to us, and you're not gonna like option two."

"What's option one?"

"Morlun is vulnerable to radiation. Dose him, and he'll take damage like a normal person. Unfortunately, there hasn't been a Manhattan Project in this world, so that won't work," he explained.

"What's a Manhattan?"

"Shut up. Option two...he lets his guard down when he's feeding." Jason frowned as it slowly dawned on him what Alex was saying.

"Everything before hand didn't hurt him, but when you punched him while he was feeding he took damage."

"Maybe the key is to attack when he's feeding?" Alex asked. Jason thought it over for a moment,

"Yeah….I did head butt him when he tried it the first time. Hurt him then too," he noted, "But I've been used as bait twice in the past twenty four hours and I'm not sure if I can take another...so maybe we don't fight him." A look of confusion passed over Alex's face.

"What do you mean?"

"Well I came here by accident. And look how long it to Morlun to track me down. Could be me coming here threw him off," Jason explained.

"Okay, but how'd you even get here in the first place?" Alex asked.

"I don't know. I just remember falling…...you think maybe there's something there in the sky?" Jason inquired. Alex gave him a blank look, clearly showing that he didn't think that was the case.

"Okay, imagine that your world and mine are right next to each other and there's a door, I opened the door-"

"So it might still be open, yeah that could be it. But things just happening like that are very rare," Alex said, thinking back to the account he had read about Amelia Earhart. Jason simply shrugged.

"If it's rare, or there's a slim chance of it happening, it will happen to me." Alex found it hard to argue with that.

"But that's above the city, and I'm pretty sure you need something to swing to," he said. Jason nodded. He could slingshot himself upwards but if he misses? He only had so much web fluid, and web parachutes take a lot of webbing. Alex rubbed his chin in thought before he snapped his fingers.

"I got it. Airships. They can cover almost any altitude, and they can hover. We'll just get one to fly over the Industrial District, you can hang from beneath it and watch for the door," he explained. A look of thought came over Jason's face as he ran the idea over in his head.

"I mean it's perfect…but what are we gonna do? Hijack one? I mean I don't want to die but I also don't want to ruin my currently spotless reputation." he said. Alex folded his arms and smirked.

"I happen to know an airship crew that owes me a favor. Come on, let's get to the airship docks. Sooner we get you out of here, sooner I'll have one less headache." he said. Jason returned his smirk

"Aw come on, we've had fun…remember me drinking?" he suggested. Alex snorted and rolled his eyes at that. The two were silent for a few seconds.

"Thank you…..really Alex." the spider hero said gratefully. The former courier shrugged as if it was no big deal.

"I got my own power sucker to deal with and…something tells me you'd do the same for me," he replied. Jason simply nodded once.

"Okay, let's go," he said. Alex slung the prototype over his shoulder as he led the way out of the dormitory and down to the dock. The two walked in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. As they boarded the ferry, Jason flopped down next the railing and relaxed. Alex, on the other hand, was gripping the railing so hard his knuckles were white. Evidently, this didn't escape the other vigilante's notice.

"Let me guess, you get wet and you short circuit?" he guessed. Alex nodded and swallowed.

"Yeah. I fell into a fountain once. I woke in the hospital a week later with a bad sunburn, shaved head, and no eyebrows," he replied, making his counterpart wince.

"Wait them how do you stay clean?" Jason asked, realizing that baths and showers were off limits.

"Well it's more like if I'm submerged. I can still take a shower, but it leaves me drained. Who knows, maybe I'll get lucky one day and not short out in the water" he said, a hint of dreaminess in his voice. Alex really missed being able to swim, or going near water in general. Although he would never admit it out loud, part of the reason was because he loved how Asami looked in a bathing suit.

"Yeah...showers are the best," Jason said before fading off into a goofy looking grin and far away eyes. Alex knew that look, and he wasn't a hundred percent sure that he wanted to know where the other teen's mind had wandered off to.

"Hello? Earth to Jason, you there?" he asked, snapping his fingers in front of his face. It shook the teen from his thoughts.

"Jesus you were standing there staring with a stupid look on your face." he said.

Who's Jesus?" Jason asked. Alex gave him a bewildered look.

"Seriously? You've been throwing God around all this time and you don't..you know what, nope. That's something I'm not discussing with you," he said. Jason merely shrugged before he went back to relaxing. Alex looked up at the statue of Avatar Aang as they sailed past.

"So, you got a girl back home?" Alex asked, deciding to break the silence that had fallen between the two. Silently he was praying that this version didn't have a recent Gwen Stacy incident.

"Yeah. Akiko...she's...she's unlike anyone I've ever met," Jason replied, his voice full of longing. Alex didn't need to be an expert on emotions to see that Jason missed this Akiko girl something fierce. An idea suddenly popped into his head about how to test a theory of his.

"She calls you Tiger, doesn't she?" Jason's head snapped toward him, his face covered with shock.

"How did you know that?" Alex merely shrugged.

"Constants and variables."

"Do what now?"

"Every incarnation of Spider-Man usually has a few things in common. There's always a Spider, always a death of someone close that starts them down this road, and there's always a girl with red in her hair," Alex explained as the ferry finally pulled into the pier. Like a shot, he was off the boat and onto safe, solid ground. Jason came a little slower, giving him a weary eye.

"You're a little scary sometimes, you know that right?" Alex rolled his eyes. As they walked to the street, another thought crossed Alex's mind. Since they were on the topic of their homes and what not, he figured he'd ask.

"Hey…why's your name Jason? I mean, everyone here has a kind of…a certain type of name. But Jason is kinda.." he said, realizing that if he referred to Asian, Jason wouldn't know what the hell he was talking about.

"Oh that? My mom wanted me to have a unique name. You know how many people are named Lee? Over thirty percent of people are. Jason? Never met anyone named that before." the spider hero explained. Alex couldn't help but nod at that.

"Makes sense. My mom named me because if I was a girl, they could name me Alexandria, instead she got Alexander," he explained.

"Alexandria?" Jason asked, holding back a snicker.

"Hey, for the first twelve years of my life I was convinced I was named after one of the great conquerors of the world. Thirteenth birthday? Nope, joke's on you, we wanted a girl."

"...your world sounds weird."

"Says the one who can stick his fingers to anything," Alex shot back.

"Jerk."

"Bitch."

* * *

The maintenance hanger by the airship docks was massive. No matter how many times he came here, Alex was still impressed by the shear size of the place. Three airships were currently moored to the ground inside the hanger, with their crews crawling over them like ants. Jason looked like a kid in a candy store as they approached the metal hulls of the crafts.

The _Kumano_ was the last of the three ships, and the smallest. At the bottom of the frame stood June. She was wearing her usual attire as she looked over a checklist on a clipboard.

"Hey June," Alex greeted. The young woman turned to look at them, she smiled at the pair.

"Alex, good to see you. I haven't seen you around here in weeks, where have you been?" she asked, giving the former courier a quick, friendly hug. The young man rubbed the back of his neck when they parted.

"I've been kinda busy...look June, I gotta ask a favor...and it's kinda big," he explained.

"You know we're not cleared to leave Republic City airspace for another two months, right?" June asked.

"It's nothing like that," he said before jerking his thumb at Jason, "See…..my friend here is part of a sporting league, a real Daredevil. He does stupid crap for the thrill of it."

"I'm actually really smart…..it's just a hobby really." Jason said, giving Alex a look while trying to not make himself look stupid.

"Really? How do the airships work?" June asked, cocking her eyebrow.

"The canopy contains hot air inside the outer metal shell to rise but small vents keep it from rising too high into the air otherwise you'd fall. You also use turbines to propel forward similar to an engine," Jason said in a quick breath. June looked at him surprised. She bit down on her lip.

"Tell you what, we gotta take her out for a test flight today. You help my mechanic get it ready? I may help," she said. Jason and Alex looked at one another before nodding in agreement.

"She's back near the propeller, use the lift and watch your head." she warned as Jason walked past her towards the rear of the ship. Once he was out of earshot, June returned her attention to Alex.

"What's really going?" she asked. Alex gave her a look.

"Just helping out a friend is all," he replied. She gave him a look that clearly showed she didn't believe him. As if to add insult to injury, she lifted up her checklist and showed him another sheet of paper that made his blood run cold. It was a wanted poster, with an artist's sketch of him right in the center.

"Where did you get that?" Alex asked, having not seen one of these before.

"Port Authorities came by last night, looking around, asking questions. They were checking to make sure you weren't trying to get out the city. So, I'll ask again, what's really going on?"

"Look, it's...complicated. Like really complicated. I wouldn't even know where to start to explain it all to you," he said.

"We're helping you and your friend out. The least you can do is try."

"Believe me, I'm already taking a huge risk involving you as much as I am right now. I don't want to see you or anyone else on the _Kumano_ get hurt."

"Alex, we're an air crew, we can handle anything..."

"Kelly's dead, June," Alex interrupted, making the crew member freeze, "I've looked around and all the writing on the wall says the same thing; Amon's endgame is coming, and no one is safe."

"You're certain?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"As certain as I am that the sun will set in the western sky tonight." June looked up at him, her eyes turning hard.

"You're going to fight them when the time comes, aren't you?"

"Rangers lead the way. That's what Dad always taught me, anyway," he replied.

"I can't speak for the others, but when the time comes you can count me in," she said. Alex blinked.

"I didn't know you were a bender."

"I'm not. But I don't agree with that lunatic's methods or his message. You won't be fighting him alone, not if I have a say in it," she said.

"Are there any benders on your crew?"

"Just the mechanic. A firebender, Akiko's her name." Alex did a double take at the name. It couldn't be a coincidence.

"Give her a few weeks vacation after today, make sure she gets out of the city," he said. June folded her arms.

"Aki's not the kind of girl to turn tail and run at the first sign of trouble."

"You wanna help me? These are my terms, get her out of this city while there is still time." June let out an irritated sigh.

"Alright fine, I'll try and talk her into going somewhere warm. Hey, what's this? Another one of your friends needing a favor?" she asked, pointing past him. Alex frowned before he turned and followed her finger. Approaching him at a brisk pace was Morlun, his red eyes filled with fury.

"June, run," he said as he unslung the prototype. His voice made it clear he was ordering, not asking. The airship first mate simply nodded before she ran. Alex watched her go before returning his attention to the rapidly approaching man.

"I don't suppose we could talk this out?" he asked. Morlun responded by slamming his palm into his chest. Alex went flying, smashing into a set of scaffolding that lined the _Kumano's_ side. A young woman's scream filled the air before it was drowned out by the crashing of the scaffolding as it came down around him. Alex lay on the ground groaning in pain for a moment, ignoring the construction equitment around him.

"Akiko, run, now!" That was Jason's voice. Alex managed to sit up slightly, just in time to see a girl with black and red hair sprint away from the scene. Jason charged forward, slamming a haymaker into Morlun's face. Bringing up the prototype, Alex spun the crank on the side, silently counting how many times he had done it in his head. When he reached seven, he pushed himself to his feet.

Jason had tackled Morlun to the ground and was beating on him hard enough that the concrete beneath the two started to crack. But the inheritor got an arm free and slammed his fist into Jason's chin. The teen sailed upward, slamming into the metal hull of the airship above. Alex couldn't help but cringe at that. As Morlun started to get up, he took quick aim and squeezed the trigger. A loud BRAUNT filled the air as the electric rifle fired, it's bolt slamming into Morlun's chest and forcing him onto his back.

"So what was the plan for when he showed back up again?" Alex asked as he spun the crank to charge up the weapon again. Jason shook his head as he pealed himself off of the floor.

"We didn't have one," he replied, pulling the clothes off and getting into his suit. "But I do not want to be used as bait again." he stated as he sprayed webbing at Morlun as he stood again, trying to slow him down, but only succeeding a little. Alex stopped spinning the crank when his mental count reached ten.

"Get him in the air, I want to work on my target practice." Jason sprung into action, slamming an axe handle down over Morlun's head before grabbing him by the hair and tossing him into the air like a rag doll. Alex leveled his rifle, lining up the shot for only a blink of an eye before he squeezed the trigger. Lightning slammed into him again, forcing him backwards and slamming him into a crate. Jason closed in on him once again, but Moulin sent his foot crashing into Jason's chest, making him cough as the air was forced out of his lungs.

As he picked up Jason again, Alex sprinted toward the inheritor, his hand spinning the crank as fast as he could. He's count stopped at twelve when he leveled the prototype and fired point blank in the back of Morlun's head. Spider-Man sprayed webbing into his face before uppercutting him back to Alex who struck him across the face with the rifle butt. But Morlun reached back and grabbed Alex before slamming him into Jason.

The pair landed in a pile, groaning in pain. The prototype slid well beyond either of their reach.

"I hate you. I want you to know that before we die," Alex grumbled out as Morlun grabbed Jason once again.

"Don't worry, your death with me painless compared to him." Morlun said as he began to drain Jason once again.

"Nope! Please no! Not a third time! For the love of God are you a bottomless pit!?" Jason yelled as he felt the life drain from him once again. Morlun didn't care, he was going to feed, this was past a challenge and had become an annoyance, nothing was going to stop him from enjoying his well fought meal.

That was until Alex drew his staff and braced it against the elbow supporting Jason. The teen saw him move and instantly swung foot around so that the metal slammed into his elbow with a loud crack. Morlun wailed in pain as he dropped Jason.

"My Arm! You broke my arm!"

"Big deal, you cracked my ribs and you don't hear me crying about it." Jason groaned out as Morlun held the arm. He couldn't win, even if he could tank their attacks he couldn't fight with just one arm. A portal opened up behind him once again.

"Mark my words spider. Your death will be the most painful." he warned before backing into the portal.

"So…..we broke the fucker's arm." Alex said panted as he fell to his knees, making Jason chuckle.

"Yea...yeah we did…I'm not sure we're getting that ride through." Jason said, looking around to see that everyone else had fled. Alex hefted himself back to his feet, leaning on his staff for support. As he reached out a hand to steady himself against a tool box, an arc of lightning flew between his fingers and a screwdriver laying on top of the box. It sailed away into the hanger, giving off an echoing clang when it landed somewhere out of sight.

"Figures. I can throw lightning again just when we don't need it anymore," he said before absorbing the energy from a nearby lantern. Feeling his spirits renewed, he helped Jason off the ground. As he pulled him up, he noticed a blue glow coming from just under Jason's neck.

"What's with your suit?" he asked, gesturing to his collarbone.

Jason's hands brushed up against it before dipping under the suit and taking out his necklace, the gem in the middle of the spider encasing was glowing.

"What the-" he started before touching it, causing a beam to shoot out of it before it stretched into a portal with a web like pattern. Alex and Jason stared at it momentarily.

"Guess it wasn't up in the sky after all." Jason muttered, Alex nodding in agreement. The two faced one another.

"So…guess this is goodbye." Jason said, raising a hand to shake. Alex smiled before grabbing it.

"Yeah. Guess so. If you come back, make sure you don't have any Elizabeth era vampires on your ass."

"What's the-"

"Nothing! Just….Never mind." he said, making Jason roll his eyes.

"Swear to god it's like I'm talking to Deadpool somethings."

"Wait you have a Deadpool? You poor, poor bastard," Alex said out of sympathy.

"Thanks….and yeah. You ever find yourself in my dimensional neck of the woods, stop by," Jason offered before the pair shook hands again.

"That was your girlfriend, wasn't it? The one who ran out of here," Alex asked. He got a simple nod in reply.

"If she's here, there's a good chance another version of you is out there too. I'll keep an eye on them," Alex promised. Jason smiled in thanks before he turned toward the portal. Just before he stepped through, he paused.

"It's blood," he said over his shoulder.

"Huh?"

"Amon's secret. It's blood. And he's not the only one you have to worry about. Get yourself ready, cause an even bigger darkness is coming," he said before stepping through the portal, and in a flash of light, he was gone once again. Alex sighed and gave a small smile, it was finally over. Suddenly, he frowned as a new thought crossed his mind.

"SON OF A BITCH! I JUST PASSED ON A FREE RIDE HOME! GODDAMNIT!" he raged, slamming his staff repeatedly into a metal barrel.

 _Air Temple Island._

Dusk was setting in as Alex limped his way up the stairs. He was using his staff as a walking stick, while the prototype was slung across his back. Waiting at the top of the stairs was Asami and Korra. The two young women had worried looks on their faces, which melted into relief when they saw him.

"You're okay," Asami said as she wrapped her boyfriend into a hug.

"It's done. Jason got out okay, and Morlun shouldn't be bothering us again," Alex reported as he stepped back slightly so he could look at both of them.

"What happens now?" Korra asked.

"Now we get ready for Amon's endgame." With that, the trio looked out over the city. The skyscrapers downtown shined in the orange light of the setting sun, making them seem like pillars of diamond.

"It's so quiet," Korra noted.

"It's the deep breath before the plunge," Alex replied, "and I have a feeling that tomorrow morning won't just bring the normal fog."

 **And done! Chapter Seventeen down. As I said at the beginning, this is the last chapter of the crossover, we will now be returning to our regularly scheduled programming. Now, by my estimate, there are three chapters left in Chain Lightning, give or take one depending on if I decide to do an ending chapter special. That means for those of you who've been waiting, the final clash between Alex and Tannan is drawing close.**

 **Also, on a side note, same as last chapter, if there is anyone out there who is willing and able to do a concept drawing of Alex, please please do not hesitate to contact me.**

 **But other then that, be sure to check out Avatar Conner's version of this chapter. Drop a review, leave a PM, send a courier! Let us know what you liked or didn't like, and I'll see you all in the next one.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Hey guys, I'm back with a new chapter. Well here it is, the start of the finale. If you guys like action and plot twists, hopefully y'all will find this enjoyable. I've been waiting for so long to get to this point, and I can't wait to show you what I have planned. Now, on with the show:**

Alex slowly opened his eyes as the gray morning light filtered in through the window. He exhaled through his nose and blinked when he felt a weight shift on his chest. Glancing down, he found himself looking at the black hair of Asami. The heiress was curled up next to him, her head laying on his chest with a small smile on her sleeping face. He reached down and gently moved a strand of hair out of her face, careful not to wake her.

In light of events that had occurred within the past forty eight hours, Alex had officially gone into what he described as a 'lack of fucks' mood. It basically meant that when it came down to smaller trivial matters, such as him and Asami sleeping in the same bed, he simply no longer cared what the established rules were.

Tenzin had been uneasy with the idea to say the least. But Alex had argued that both he and Asami were old enough to be considered legal adults. That, and with the threat of Amon's Revolution on the horizon, he was going to spend as much time as he could with the woman he loved before all hell broke loose.

"Morning," Asami said sleepily. Alex smiled and placed a small kiss on her forehead.

"Morning."

"Can we stay like this? I'm warm," she said, curling up closer to him.

"Five minutes, then we gotta get up for the day," he replied. Asami returned her head to its place on his chest.

"You know, five minutes really isn't enough time to get anything done," she said, slipping her hand beneath the blankets and gripping him firmly with a smirk.

"As tempting as that is, you are aware that these walls are literally made of paper, right?" he asked.

"So?"

"So, you have trouble staying quiet," he said before he dug his hands into her sides. Asami squealed and giggled as he tickled her. She buried her face into the blankets in order to muffle her yelps.

"Okay, okay, I yield," she finally managed to get out. Alex laughed and kissed her.

"Come on, we got get movin'," he said. The couple got up and got dressed for the day before slipping out into the main dining room. Korra, the bending brothers, Tenzin, and Lin were all sitting around a table eating breakfast.

"What's the word?" Alex asked as he grabbed up an apple and a newspaper and plopped down next to Korra. Asami veered off into the kitchen to help Pema. He frowned as he looked over the headlines. All of the local news was dedicated to the Equalists.

"We're discussing what is going to happen next with Amon," Lin said.

"And? Seriously isn't there any scrap of good news anywhere? Everything from the United Republic is dedicated to Amon, and the only other thing that's news worthy seems to be this Oru Gang that keeps hijacking military trains and convoys in the Earth Kingdom," Alex complained before laying the newspaper down.

"Equalist activity has been on the rise all across the city. It's my belief that Amon is entering his endgame," the former Chief of Police reported.

"I'm heading to City Hall shortly, with the new developments in the Tarrlok situation it will be up to me to coordinate the city defense when Amon attacks," Tenzin said. Alex frowned at his choice of wording.

"New developments? He's headed to prison, he was caught doing something illegal red handed."

"I don't think that will matter much, kid. My sources tell me that the transport moving Tarrlok was attacked, and the man himself was found dead...drained of chi," Lin said. Alex let out a resigned sigh, but otherwise remained silent. Tannan had added yet another victim to his ever growing list, and while he had despised Tarrlok with a passion, it was a fate he wouldn't wish on anyone.

"Do we have any idea when Amon is going to make his move?" Mako asked.

"If I had to guess, it's going to happen soon. He wouldn't let his little pet have such a loose leash otherwise," Alex said before he bit into his apple.

"Which is why it is important that the city's defenses be bolstered. I'll head to city hall now and get things set up," Tenzin said as he stood and left the room. The others began to slowly file out, heading to their own corner of the island to do what ever. Alex stayed behind and helped Pema move dirty dishes into the kitchen.

Just as he turned to go collect another armful, he caught sight of the pregnant woman doubling over and clutching her stomach. Alex knew that Pema was in her last month of pregnancy and was expecting the baby at any time now. The question remained if it was show time or a false alarm.

"You alright?" he asked, concern in his voice. Pema leaned on the counter and gave him a reassuring smile.

"The baby's just moving around a lot, I'm fine," she said. Alex's eyes narrowed. He didn't quite believe her story. But, then again this was the woman's fourth child so she clearly knew what she was doing. Still it was better to be safe then sorry.

"May I?" Alex asked, raising a hand. Pema nodded and held her belly as the courier gently placed his hand palm down on her. He gave a small smile as he felt the child move around inside.

"Strange, isn't it?" the woman said, looking down at her stomach with a smile. Alex merely shrugged.

"Not overly. I remember when my mom was pregnant with my little sister. She was always on the move even in the womb," Alex said before he closed his eyes and focused on the unborn child. This didn't go unnoticed by Pema, who's expression turned into a scowl.

"If you tell me I have another airbender in my future, I'll brain you with this sauce pan," she warned, holding up said pan as proof. Alex smiled, but didn't open his eyes.

"Oh no, nothing that accurate. But I can say this; it's a boy, and he's strong," he said. Pema looked baffled for a moment.

"How do you.."

"Trade secret." he replied with a wink before he left for the dining room. There, he found Asami gathering up the last of the dishes. She noticed him and smiled, but that quickly faded when she saw the look on his face.

"What is it?" she asked.

"It's Pema. I think she's in the early stages of labor."

"How do you know?"

"I read her and the baby's energy signs. Either she's in the early stages, or she will be soon," he said. Asami cocked her eyebrow.

"You can do that?"

"I can't explain it, I just know," he replied with a shrug.

"So what do we do?"

"For now, just keep an eye on her."

"I can do that," Asami said. Alex gave her a smile.

"I know you can." With that, the two of them parted ways. Alex began to wander the island, as he really had nothing to do. At first, he stopped by the library. But his weeks of constantly scouring its contents had left him knowing most of the titles. After getting board of walking through the bookshelves, Alex turned back toward his and Asami's shared room. If he couldn't use the library, he might as well spend the time doing something useful, such as working on his prototype, or creating something new entirely.

As he walked down the halls of the woman's dormitory, he shivered and pulled his jacket a little closer around him. Overnight, a cold front had come down from the mountains, blanketing the city in an early winter chill. It was the kind of cold that got down deep into your bones, the kind that came just before the first real snow of winter.

Just as he started to open the door to his room, Alex paused when his ears picked up a faint sound. At this time of day, all the Acolytes were tending to their duties around the Island, leaving the dormitories deserted. But, now that he focused on it, he was sure that he could hear the sound of someone crying.

Turning away from the door, Alex followed the sound, walking heal to toe so that his boots didn't didn't make a noise on the wooden floor. It didn't take much for him to realize that the noise was coming from Korra's room. He softly knocked on the door, concern flooding through him.

"Korra?" he asked, slowly opening the door. Inside, he found the Avatar sitting on the floor next to her bed. Her knees were tucked into her chest and her hands were gripping her temples as she sobbed. He made his way forward cautiously, not wanting to startle her and accidentally get a blast of fire to the face.

"Korra?" he asked again, a little louder this time. Korra looked up at him, releasing her grip on her head. After a moment, she went back to staring at the far wall, her arms hugging her legs closer into her chest.

"How do you do it?" she managed to get out.

"Do what?" She looked back at him again, anger in her eyes this time.

"How do you walk around like she's not gone?" she asked, this time with venom in her voice. Alex felt his heart drop as he realized what was going on. She was crying over Kelly.

"I.."

"She was your oldest friend, Alex," Korra said, jumping to her feet so that she was face to face with him, "I've never seen you once shed a tear for her. She was your friend, and you just shook her death off like it was some person you'd never even met."

"Korra, I..."

"How can you be so cold and heartless? You didn't care about her, did you..." Korra suddenly trailed off as Alex slapped her. She looked up at him, stunned, her hand absentmindedly cupping her cheek. Now that she looked, Korra could see the emotions swirling in his storm gray eyes. Her words had effected him far more then she realized.

"You weren't there when I brought her body back to the Island. I was so close to losing it that the sky itself was set to open up with lightning. You say I'm heartless for not crying over her? God damnit, Korra, I CAN'T cry over her! If I lose it now, more people will die by her killer's hand. The only way I can honor her memory is if I can keep soldiering on, so DON'T YOU DARE QUESTION HOW I FELT ABOUT HER!" he said, his voice raising in volume with every word.

Korra took a few steps backwards, and Alex saw something in her he hadn't seen since the night he'd talked her down from her fight with Amon on Aang Memorial Island. Fear. She was afraid of him. Taking a shuttering breath, he collapsed onto the edge of the bed

"I'm...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that."

"It was warranted. I was being kind of a bitch, wasn't I?" she asked, sitting next to him.

"Still, I shouldn't have slapped you. That was out of line."

"Hey tough guy? Forget it. I've tried to kill you three times since we've met, I think you're entitled to a free one every once in a while," she said. Alex smiled at her reasoning and draped his arm around her shoulder in a friendly manner. He was somewhat surprised when she leaned her head on his shoulder. Ordinary he would have shrugged her off, but he decided to allow it to let her feel some comfort.

"If you don't mind me asking, what was the nature of yours and Kelly's friendship?" Alex asked. Korra cocked an eyebrow at him as she sniffed.

"Friendly? Why?" she asked, clearly confused.

"I mean like were you two just friends or more then friends?"

"More then friends? You mean like best friends? I suppose so, I mean after everything we went through together." Alex fought the urge to face palm at how naive Korra was.

"I mean was she your girlfriend?"

"Well yeah, I mean that is what you call your best female friend right? Or am I misreading the social terms again?" This time Alex actually did face palm. In fact, he untangled his arm from around her and did it with both hands.

"Korra you are aware that Kelly was a lesbian right?" The Avatar blinked, clearly stunned.

"Wait, what?"

"Yeah, so when I ask you if she was your girlfriend..." he trailed off clearly waiting for an answer. Korra's face turned a deep shade of red.

"Oh! Um...no, I mean, no," she said, starting to stutter. Alex couldn't help but smile at her sudden embarrassment.

"I mean, not that I have anything against people like that its just..you know..I've never..."

"Korra, stop. You're making a mountain out of an ant hill," he said. She quickly fell silent, but her cheeks remained crimson.

"So you think we were together?" she asked.

"Judging by your reaction, I'd say no," he replied. With that, they fell into a silence. Neither one of them dared to break it. They just simply enjoyed the feeling of having someone to lean on. After what felt like hours, a distant boom rumbled through the room. Another followed, and another soon after that.

"I've heard of snow thunder, but I've never actually been around it," Korra said. Alex frowned, he knew what thunder sounded like, and that wasn't it.

"That's not thunder," he said before springing to his feet and opening the window. Smoke was rising from the city skyline, and explosions could be seen happening at the base of the buildings. Alex cursed before he sprinted out of the room with Korra hot on his heels. Alex stopped by his room, grabbing up the lightning rifle before they ran out into the courtyard, meeting the others. Lin was standing with a spyglass pressed to her eye, watching the chaos unfold.

"We heard explosions, what's going on?" Mako asked.

"Republic City is under attack, from what I can see it's the Equalists." Alex slung the prototype over his shoulder before he took the spyglass as it was offered to him and quickly surveyed the situation before him. A large mass of Equalist airships were descending on the city from the mountains.

"Korra, you and the others need to go find Tenpin," he said as he handed the scope back to Lin. The Avatar looked at her friend with concern.

"What about you?"

"I'll stay here and hold the fort down with the Chief."

"No, you should stick with us. Team Avatar sticks together." Alex placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Korra this is the last bastion of airbending. You can bet your ass that this is one of Amon's primary targets. Between me and Beifong, anything they throw at this Island will fail." Korra let out an exasperated sigh. But she knew when she wasn't going to win.

"Be careful."

"Always." With that, the others started toward the docks, with Asami pausing briefly to give her boyfriend a quick hug and kiss before they separated. Now left alone, Alex and Lin stood side by side, watching the attack on the city unfold.

"You sure you're up for this, kid?"

"About as sure as I am of anything else," Alex replied. Pema suddenly let out a blood curdling scream as she doubled over and clutched her stomach.

"Come on Pema, keep it together!" Lin snapped.

"The baby's coming!" Alex let out a sigh, watching as one of the airships broke off from the main formation and began to sail right for them.

"Well if this isn't a classic cliche. Go, keep an eye on her. I'll handle these guys," he said as he drew his staff. While the others turned and hurried Pema inside, Alex widened his stance and waited for the incoming airship. As he prepared to unleash a torrent of lightning, a flurry of movement caught his attention out of the corner of his eye.

From across the bay, coming at a rapid speed, was a second airship. Unlike the bulky red hull of an Equalist airship, this one was more sleek and gray in color. A grin formed on Alex's face as he realized that he recognized this airship. It was the _Kumano_. June had kept her promise to come to his aid.

The _Kumano_ came in fast, side swiping the rudder of the Equalist airship. While the cargo transport shrugged off the hit with only a few scrapes to its paint, the Equalist ship lost its rudder and a good portion of it's tail section. The airship's nose pitched upward before it fell into the bay, it's hull rapidly being consumed by flames. Alex looked on in awe as the _Kumano_ circled around and came to a halt, hovering just over the cliff side. The bottom hatch on the ship opened, revealing June with her hands on her hips and a triumphant smirk on her face.

"Someone call for a dust off?"

"June Akita I could kiss you right now!"

"Yeah, yeah, get in line. We're gonna circle overhead, use this to signal us when it's time to pull out," she said before tossing him a flare gun. Alex caught the brass colored device with ease before shoving it into his jacket pocket. As he did so, Oogi landed in the courtyard with the rest of Team Avatar.

"Alex, where's Lin?" Tenzin asked as he jumped from the sky bison's head.

"Inside, with Pema and the kids. Your wife went into labor," Alex replied. With that the airbending master hurried into the temple, leaving the others behind.

"What happened?" he asked, wanting an update on the situation outside the Island.

"Mecha Tanks attacked Police Headquarters. They captured the Chief and several others," Asami relayed. Alex frowned at the news. It meant that whatever was left of the Police was now effectively leaderless, and it was only a matter of time before the city fell to the Equalists.

"We need to get out of here," he said.

"No way, I'm not running," Korra said, slamming her fist into her palm.

"The Equalists will be securing the mainland, and once that's done they'll send everything they got to take this Island. We won't be able to stop them," he explained.

"You better hope that's not the case," Mako said as pointed toward the city. A pair of airships were crossing the bay, heading straight for them. Korra led the rest of them inside. In a small side room, they found Tenzin and his children crowded around Pema, looking at the bundle in her arms.

"We already chose a name," Pema said to her children.

"Rohan," Tenzin finished. Alex smiled at the sight of the family. It was a brief, bright moment in an otherwise bleak situation. Korra took a couple of steps forward.

"I'm so sorry to interrupt, but more airships are coming," she said.

"Everything's not going to be alright, is it daddy?" Ikki asked as Tenzin looked down at his newborn son. After a moment he passed the baby back to it's mother before he headed outside to assess the situation. They watched as the airships drew closer.

"What do you want to do, Tenzin?" Korra asked.

"I need to get my family to safety. If Amon or Tannan got their hands on them...I hate to even think about it," Tenzin said.

"If you're leaving I'm coming too," Lin said.

"But..."

"No arguments! You and your family are the last airbenders. There's no way I'm letting the Equalists take you," she said. Tenzin looked grateful.

"Thank you, Lin. Korra, I want you to leave the island and hide for the time being."

"I'm not giving up," she said.

"I'm not asking you to. I sent word to the United Forces, they'll be here soon. Once my family is safe I'll return and we can turn the tide in this war," Tenzin said.

"Well it's about time the fricken military got involved," Alex said, pointing toward the burning city, "Can't believe it literally had to come this for that to happen."

"So what your saying is...we need to be patient," Korra said, ignoring him. Tenzin placed his hand on her shoulder and smiled.

"You're learning well." As several Acolytes quickly loaded Pema and the baby onto Oogi along with some other supplies, Alex and the others watched the airships approached. Korra quickly saddled Naga, patting her animal companion fondly on the side.

"I'm sorry girl, but you're gonna have to carry all of us." The polar bear dog let out a whine, but otherwise remained silent as Korra, Mako, Bolin, and Asami all climbed aboard. Alex, however, remained standing where he was.

"Alex, get on, lets go," Korra said.

"If you think I'm swimming, you got another thing coming," he replied.

"Alex we don't have time for this."

"I set one pinky toe in that bay and I'll fry the lot of us. Go on, I'll catch up." The lead airship fired a harpoon with a cable attached, tethering it to the island. Asami looked at her boyfriend.

"Alex..." Alex unslung the lightning rifle and shoved it into his girlfriend's arms.

"GO!" Korra dug her heels into Naga's flanks and the hybrid took off at a sprint. Alex drew his staff and gave it a twirl as he faced the oncoming onslaught. A group of Equalists came zip lining down the tether from the airship. But the former courier didn't wait for them to reach the ground. Instead, he leapt forward and tapped his staff against the cable. An electric current traveled up the tether, causing the group of foot soldiers to cry out and lose their grip before falling to the ground, incapacitated.

Reaching into his pocket, Alex drew the flare gun and fired it into the air. A single red flare streaked toward the gray overcast sky. Almost instantly, the _Kumano_ appeared overhead with a single rope hanging down from it's cargo hold. Sliding his staff back into its harness, Alex took the rope and was hoisted skyward in a flash. He quickly found himself standing in the hold with June and a few other crew members.

"Hold to bridge, package secure. Get us outa here Ari," June said into an intercom.

"Nice timing," Alex said as he felt the airship lurch beneath them and begin to move.

"We ain't out of the woods yet, and you know it."

"Hey June, might wanna send the new guy to the engine room. Aki's needing more power," a male voice from the comm said. Alex instantly shot a glare at his friend.

"You told them about me?"

"The Electric Vigilante is the only one who hangs around the Avatar and wears a coat like that. Wasn't that hard to figure it out," June replied as she folded her arms. Alex sighed, but could see the logic in her argument. He suddenly frowned as the name of the engineer ran through his head again.

"June...tell me you sent your firebending engineer on vacation like I asked you."

"I tried. But the ship she booked passage on wasn't scheduled to leave until tomorrow morning. Now it looks like its not going anywhere." Alex cursed under his breath, he'd promised Jason that he would keep an eye on this reality's version of himself and his girlfriend if he could locate them. Akiko they had stumbled upon by dumb luck, but Jason still hadn't been found.

"You'd better get to the engine room. The more power Aki has to work with, the faster we can get out of this mess," June said, pulling him from his thoughts.

"And the engine room is where?" The airship crew member pointed at a nearby hatch. Alex gave her a half grin and a half salute before he turned toward the hatch.

"INCOMING!" The _Kumano_ suddenly rocked very violently, throwing everyone off their feet. Alarms blared throughout the ship as the deck pitched, a clear sigh that the craft was now going down.

"Status!" June shouted into the intercom.

"Explosive harpoon. Engines are gone and hull is ruptured, we're going down and we're going down hard," came the reply.

"All hands brace for impact, repeat brace for impact!" The entire hold shook like an earthquake had struck. Alex's head rebounded off of the hull, leaving the former courier seeing stars. The last thing he saw before he blacked out was the entire hold go inverted as the airship rolled over.

 _Wolf Creek Labs._

"Hey! You can't be in here, authorized personal..." the guard never finished as the young woman shoved a tazer into his neck. The man's body quacked violently before he collapsed to the floor.

"All the authorization I need," she said before she stepped over the guard and into the laboratory. She had a goth, punk look to her, her skin had a pale completion, and her eyes were a stormy gray color. Her black hair was short and spiky, roughly the same color as her black leather aviator jacket. The combat boots she wore clicked on the floor as she walked about the room, studying the contents closely.

The remnants of Doctor Tannan's experiment was little more then a pile of scorched twisted scrap meal. Never the less, absolutely no trace had been found of the only three people who had been in the room when it had exploded. Officially, the three had been declared legally dead. She didn't accept that. It was really hard to prove someone was dead without a body, or any trace of them for that matter. Tapping a button on the side of the blue tooth ear piece in her right ear, she got to work.

"I'm in."

"Good, the software on the tablet should be able to scan and detect anything abnormal." Reaching into her pack, the young woman produced a tablet and began to enter segments of code. After a few moments, she cocked her head and looked at the results on the screen with puzzlement.

"Are you guys seeing this?"

"Yes, we're getting a live stream now. Anomaly detected. There's a hole in the fabric of the universe, the size of a pinprick, but it's there."

"Can you exploit it?"

"Given enough time and power I can. Get as much data as possible and then get out of there, security will be making another sweep soon. It seems you were right, Ms. Chambers."

"I told you, call me Lucy," she replied before she ended the call with another press of the button. She looked at the tablet again, and then up at the spot where the scans said that the hole resided. It was in the center of the wreckage, right at the heart of the explosion. For the first time in almost half a year, she gave a small smile.

"Hang on, little brother. It won't be long now."

 **And done! Not one, but two cliffhangers for ya. Trust me, guys, things are only just starting to heat up. The next couple of chapters are gonna be action packed as we move into the final battle for Republic City.**

 **Again, I could not have done this without your guys' support. Let me know what you liked or didn't like, or don't hesitate to ask questions! Leave a review, drop a PM, you know the drill! I'll see you all in the next one!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Hey guys, I'm back with a new chapter. Chapter Nineteen, wow, look how far this story has come. I can't believe that the next chapter is the last. Once again, I couldn't have done this without your guys support. But, you don't want to read about me thanking you, you want to read the next chapter, so without further delay, lets get on with the show...**

"June, he's waking up." Alex's foggy vision slowly cleared up, allowing him to see around him. He was leaning up against the wall of a small pharmacy, his staff on the ground next to his leg. Above him in the gloom of the dark store stood a young woman wearing a light blue jumpsuit. Her pale skin was covered in grease, as was the pair of brass goggles resting on her forehead. His eyes were drawn to her unusual hair color, a midnight black that ended in red highlights.

"Ugh, what hit me?" he asked.

"The street at about thirty miles an hour," the girl answered. As Alex shook his head, he took notice of the autocross cradled in her hands. The piece of machinery was a somewhat rare idem in the city, usually reserved for military personnel only. Given the nature of the work the crew of the _Kumano_ did, he wasn't overly surprised that they had something like this to fend off pirates and other undesirables.

"Where are we?" he asked.

"Not far from the Park. The ship crash landed in the middle of the street. Equalists have been swarming the area since," June answered as she peaked out the shades that covered the shop front. She was holding an autocross of her own.

"How long have I been out?"

"'Bout four hours. Sun's gone down now, we've been waiting for you to wake up before we made a move," the girl said.

"The other crew members, are they...?" Alex asked.

"No, the Equalists captured them," June said. He nodded in relief. Captured certainly wasn't the most desirable outcome, but it was better then dead by a long shot.

"So what's the plan?" he asked.

"That's what we were hoping to ask you, hot shot. You know the city better then we do," the girl said. Alex rolled his eyes before he pulled himself to his feet.

"First things first, you and I haven't been properly introduced," he said. Even though Alex knew very well who this girl was, a proper introduction would save a lot of time and questions in the future.

"Akiko Rupa. Yes, I'm single. And yes, I intend to stay that way, so don't get any ideas," she said, holding up the autocross to make a point.

"Cool your heels, I already got a girlfriend."

"Really?" she asked, sounding generally surprised.

"Seriously? Why is everyone always surprised when I say that?"

"Alex, focus," June said.

"Right, right. Alex Chambers, pleasure to meet you. Now, back to the task at hand."

"Any ideas?" June asked. Alex hooked the toe of his boot under his staff before he kicked it into the air and easily caught it with his right hand. Absentmindedly twirling the staff, he made his way over the widow and peaked out into the dark street. At first, he thought that his two companions had left the lights off in an effort to hide from the patrolling Equalists. But now that he could see a lack of street lights, he realized that the power must have been out.

That complicated things.

Without a stable source of electricity to rely on, Alex's abilities were limited to what his body could carry. Granted he could store far larger amounts of power then he could when he'd first started, but his reserves weren't limitless. He'd have to rely on precision in a fight until the power was restored. One problem at a time. First thing he needed to do was get them to a safe location. And to do that, he needed to know exactly where they were.

"What street are we on?" he asked, unable to make out any street signs in the gloom.

"Khan, I think," Akiko answered. Alex couldn't help but smile to himself. Fate, or fortune, was smiling on them it seemed.

"Alright, here's the plan. About two hundred yards up the way here is an abandoned building. In the basement of this building there is a smuggler's hatch that leads down into the utility tunnels. We get there, and then we locate the Avatar," he said.

"Okay, question. Didn't the Equalists primary operate in the underground before all this started? Wouldn't that be like walking into the Platypus Bear cave?" Akiko asked.

"It would, but considering the fact that they've pretty much taken the city, you can probably bet that the vast majority of them are probably on the surface by now," Alex replied.

"Well then what are we sitting here for?" June asked. Alex smiled as he slid his staff into its harness and opened the door to the shop. A pleasant ding rang out as the bell over the door chimed. The trio ignored it as they left, moving from doorway to doorway as they went. He noted the way that his two companions moved indicated that they had some kind of training. But this wasn't the time to question it.

As they reached the brick two story structure, Alex led the way around to the side of the building that he had entered through last time. The door, which he had splintered during his last visit, had been replaced with a metal one. Without a second thought, the former courier drove his foot into the door, causing it to fly open, and leaving a decent sized dint in the process.

"You'd think whoever owns this place would learn not to put the door back up," he muttered before leading the way inside.

"I take it you've been here before," June said as she held her autocross at the ready.

"A time or two. It came in handy when I did the Kyoshi Run."

"Wait, you did the Kyoshi Run, and you're still alive and not in prison?" Akiko asked.

"Um, duh?"

"I knew you were crazy, but I didn't think you were that crazy," June said. Alex rolled his eyes as he tore open the trapdoor leading down into the tunnels. Akiko took one look down into the tunnel before backpedaling quickly.

"What?" June asked.

"Spider Rats! I hate Spider Rats!" The two looked at each other before looking back at the firebender.

"Get a hold of yourself, airwoman," June said. Rather then calm down, Akiko jumped forward and unleashed a gout of flame into the hole.

"BURN! BURN YOU LITTLE MUTANT FREAKS!" After a moment, she released the flow of fire and stood back, panting. Alex blinked a few times in stunned silence.

"Anyone else? No? Alright let's go."

* * *

The underground hobo shanty town was something that was truly impressive. Non Benders and Benders coexisting peacefully in a time when that seemed impossible. But Asami simply didn't have the heart for it. She was sitting next to a small campfire by herself, the lightning rifle leaning against her as she stared into the flames.

Asami was worried about her boyfriend. The last trace she had seen of him, the airship he was on was being chased by Equalists. She had no doubt that Alex could handle himself in a scrap. But even he had his limits when it came to being outnumbered. He had always talked about the possibility of him facing the city alone, but now that it seemed that was a real possibility, the worry and fear clawed at her.

"You should sleep," Korra said as she sat on the other side of the fire from the heiress.

"I've tried," she replied numbly, he finger lazily tracing over the trigger on the prototype as she continued to stare into the fire. Korra looked as well, as if trying to see whatever it was Asami was looking for.

"He's gonna be alright, Asami. He's the toughest person I've ever met," she said.

"Anyone I know?" came Alex's voice, causing the two young women heads to turn toward the voice. From out of the gloom came Alex, flanked on either side by June and Akiko. The trio looked exhausted, with Alex leaning on his staff while the two airwomen had a slight stumble in their step. Asami was on her feet in an instant, tackling Alex into a bear hug.

"We saw your airship being chased by the Equalists. I was starting to worried you had been captured," she said.

"They shot us down, but the three of us managed to avoid capture and make our way down here," Alex said.

"How did you know where to find us?" Korra asked.

"He didn't. We just spent the better part of three hours wandering a maze of tunnels. Not exactly something that was included in our pay grade," Akiko said, irritation in her voice.

"Speaking of, you owe me an airship, Sato," June added as the pair pushed their way past toward the campfire. Asami watched the two of them go before cocking her eyebrow at Alex.

"Why is it you always come back accompanied by women and in debt?"

"Because God has a sense of humor," he replied, leaning a little harder on his staff.

"We should get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a long day," Korra said. Alex nodded in agreement as he draped his arm around Asami's shoulders. Tomorrow would come on its own time. For the moment, he wanted to savor the small measure of peace he had now.

 _Three days later. Morning_

Asami woke up to find that she was alone in the small sleeping bag that was serving as her bed. The majority of the reunited Team Avatar had taken up residence in a small shack, with most of them sleeping on sleeping bags on the floor. Korra slept leaning up against Naga, stating that the fur was far more comfortable then cloth over concrete.

The heiress was surprised to find that Alex was already up and moving, given how late in the night he had often gone to sleep. Standing and stretching, she made her way outside of the shack to find Alex squatting next to a campfire. He was pouring what looked like water into a pot while simultaneously stirring it up with the other ingredients.

"What are you doing?" she asked. Alex glanced up at her before returning his attention to his work.

"Cooking. This is breakfast, lunch, and quite possibly supper," he replied as he sat the glass bottle aside.

"What is it?"

"Chambers Pot Surprise," he said, a small grin on his face.

"Chamber pot? You named a dish after a toilet?" Asami asked.

"Not my choice in naming. And besides, shit water in a pan was already taken."

"So what is it?"

"Noodles mixed with vodka, or sake in this case," Alex said as he finished stirring and sat the spoon aside.

"Is it really a good idea to have everyone be drunk when the United Forces show up?" Asami asked.

"Eh, the cooking gets rid of most of the alcohol and the noodles absorb the rest. Really all that's left is enough to wake people up and give them a small confidence boost," he said. Looking up, they saw Mako, Korra, and Bolin walking past. June and Aki were with them as well, their autocross at the ready.

"We're headed up to meet the United Forces," Korra said. The couple looked at each other before Alex stood up and slid his staff into its harness.

"A climatic battle between the military and insurgents for the soul of the city? How the fuck can I pass that up?"

* * *

An early morning fog blanketed the city, obscuring just about everything from view. The group moved with a sense of caution as they emerged from a drainage tunnel on the water's edge. Mako took the lead, heading up an embankment to a level set of ground above them. Alex quickly realized they were in the Industrial District, not far from downtown.

"Once the United Forces get here, we need to be ready to help in any way we can," Korra said.

"Will they even be able to see through all of this fog?" Bolin asked as he scanned the harbor with a spyglass.

"It's just past nine. The sun should start burning it off, soon enough," June said as she looked at her pocket watch. True to the airwoman's word, the fog began to lift, reveling the bay in its entirety.

"They're here," Mako said, pointing out to sea. Sure enough, the hulking shapes of half a dozen battleships were emerging from the retreating fog bank. Alex's eyes narrowed as he watched the ships steam past Air Temple Island. The Equalists had put all of their effort into capturing the city. They wouldn't just give up ground, not without a fight.

As he scanned the shoreline, he felt a chill run down his spine. Everything seemed deserted. No mecha tanks, no airships, not a soul in sight to defend the city they had fought so hard for. That meant two possibilities. The first was that the Equalists had learned that the United Forces were coming and had abandoned the city as a result. But, given the fact that they were emboldened by taking the city in the first place, that seemed highly unlikely.

The second, and far more likely possibility was that the United Forces were sailing into a trap.

"Wait, where are the Equalist airships?" Korra asked. Alex smiled inwardly, happy that he wasn't the only one noticing these things. Mako quickly snatched up the spyglass from his brother and scanned the shoreline.

"I don't see any mecha tanks either," he reported. Deep resonating booms suddenly echoed across the harbor. Plums of water rocketed skyward amongst the ships as explosions detonated beneath the waves.

"The Equalists mined the harbor," Alex said, quickly getting a grasp on what was happening. Without a word, Korra dove over the railing into the harbor before using waterbending to propel herself toward the fleet. Then, a roar filled the air. It was quiet at first, but quickly grew in volume. Alex felt a chill run down his spine as he realized that he recognized the sound.

"What now?" Mako asked as he raised the spyglass and scanned the city skyline. From out of the sky, a squadron of tri-engine biplanes dove like a swarm of hornets toward the fleet. Anger and a sense of helplessness flooded through him as he watched the planes.

"Where does Hiroshi find the time to build new, evil machines?" Bolin asked.

"Between the mines and the planes, the fleet is a sitting duck," Alex said. The earthbender turned to him.

"Alex, do something!"

"Like what? Make a finger gun, yell 'bang bang', and pray the pilots cash the planes on their own?!" he asked.

"I don't know, make a lightning storm or something!"

"I'm not THAT powerful!" More explosions echoed across the harbor as the biplanes dropped their ordinance. It wasn't long before all of the ships in the fleet were little more then burning wrecks sinking to the bottom of the harbor. Alex watched while pacing back and forth. He wanted to help, to run forward and blast as many of the craft out of the sky as he could.

But it simply wasn't an option for him, not if he didn't want to lose control of his powers again. As he paced and looked around, some movement caught his eye. A short distance away from where the group was standing, across a small canal that dumped into the harbor stood a hooded figure that was watching the destruction of the fleet. In fact, it was taking notes, analyzing the attack. Rage flooded the former courier, causing his blood to boil and his vision to turn red.

"Tannan!" Alex took off at a sprint, bounding off of the railing before thrusting his palms downward. Static electricity discharged from his palms, forcing him higher into the air. Tannan heard the clap of thunder from the discharge, looking toward the source of the noise. Upon seeing Alex land on his bank of the canal in a roll, he ran. Alex was up on his feet in a flash, sprinting after the Doctor.

Alex threw his hand out, extending his index and middle finger. A bolt of lightning shot forward and struck Tannan in the shoulder. He sprawled out, the force of the bolt causing him to fall. But he was up and sprinting at full bore again in the blink of an eye, despite his smoking clothing. They ran a little further before Tannan suddenly turned and thrust his fists out toward the harbor.

All of the ground between the two suddenly was suddenly ripped up and thrown into the water. Alex slid to a halt as the harbor rushed to fill in the hole between the two, effectively cutting the two off from each other. The former courier glared daggers across the gap, but the Doctor had a hungry grin on his face.

"You'll get your fight soon enough, Mr. Chambers," he said before turning and disappearing around the corner. Alex let out a growl before he turned and began to backtrack toward the others. He hadn't gotten very far before he noticed something on the ground. It was a leather bound book. Picking it up, Alex opened it and was surprised to find the writing inside was in English lettering. He realized that this had been knocked from Tannan's grasp when he'd hit him with lightning.

It was Tannan's personal journal.

He finally had something that would allow him to see the inner workings of his enemy's mind. And if Alex could better understand how Tannan operated, what made him tick, he stood a better chance of beating him. As he walked back to the group, idly flipping through the journal, his eye caught sight of something green against gray concrete.

Puzzled, Alex came to a halt and looked down at his feet. There, floating on the edge of the water, was an olive drab United Forces patrol cap. He picked the cap up and shook it out, allowing sea water to splash all over.

"Did you get him?" It was Asami, calling across the canal to him. Alex looked up to find the group looking at him. Even Korra was back, supporting a man in a red military uniform on her shoulder.

"No. But I'm one step closer," he said as he held the journal up for all to see.

"What is that?"

"A window into the mind of a madman."

* * *

The group all sat around a campfire, exhaustion evident on their faces. Korra was bending a blob of water of the officer's arm, healing a burn that he had received. The officer, Iroh, looked like he'd been put through the ringer.

"Listen to this; _'because of the enhanced energy nature our DNA now exhibits from exposure to Rift energy, I have decided to designate us as Charged, at least until a better term can be thought of.'_ What do y'all think? Do I look like a 'Charged'?" Alex asked as he leafed through the journal.

"What exactly are you reading?" Iroh asked.

"The journal of one Doctor Leon Tannan, more commonly known as Avatar Taun," Alex replied.

"Taun, huh? We've heard reports about him. Supposedly he's one of the greatest weapons in Amon's arsenal. I was prepared to deal with him, and the airships and mecha tanks, but not these new high speed aircraft," Iroh said.

"I know. Every time we think we have an advantage, Amon outsmarts us," Korra said.

"No matter what plan we come up with, he's got a better one," Bolin added. Iroh grimaced a little as Korra touched a sensitive spot on his arm, but otherwise didn't complain.

"Amon may be winning, but we're not out of the fight yet," he said.

"I like this man's confidence! How exactly are we not out of the fight?" Bolin asked.

"That was only a single division of the United Forces. The military still outnumbers the Equalists by a long shot," Alex said.

"Exactly."

"Oh, more reinforcements, I like it," Bolin said.

"But numbers don't mean squat as long as they have air dominance. Unless we can take out those biplanes, any force that approaches the city will be obliterated," Alex said.

"Which means we'll have to ground those aircraft somehow," Iroh said before he stood, placing his hand over his wounded arm, "Do you still have a way to get a message out?"

"I know just the man for the job," Korra said with a grin.

"And who is the recipient of this top secret message?" Gommu asked as he set up his telegraph. Alex stood on the opposite side of the desk the hobo was using, holding a few wires and allowing a steady stream of power into them.

"Commander Bumi, Second Division of the United Forces," Iroh said. Korra cocked her head curiously as the former telegrapher cracked his fingers and loosened them up in preparation for his transmission.

"Tenzin's brother?" she asked.

"Yes, a bit of a wild man, but the bravest commander you'll ever meet," Iroh replied.

"Ready, sir."

"Fleet ambushed and destroyed by Equalist aircraft. Retreat to Red Sand Island until my signal. Do not approach city until you receive the all clear," Iroh said before falling silent, listening to the hobo tap away on his machine. As Gommu finished the message, Mako rolled out a map of the city on a nearby table top. The group clustered around the map, all of them trying to see what was going on.

"Now comes the hard part. We need to take out those aircraft, otherwise the Second Division will be wiped out like the First," Iroh said.

"They flew in from this direction," Mako said, pointing toward the eastern edge of the city, "their base has to be somewhere over this mountain range."

"Everyone get ready, we leave at Dawn," Iroh said. Just as they started to roll up the map, Korra stepped forward.

"Wait. I'm not going with you tomorrow," she said.

"What?" asked Mako.

"Why not?" added Asami. Korra clenched her fists, clearly frustrated.

"I'm sick and tired of hiding and running. It's time I faced Amon, on my terms."

"That's not a good plan. We should stick together," Iroh said.

"And besides, it's not going to be easy for you to get close to Amon, not with everyone looking for you," Bolin said as he sat down several wanted posters. Each one contained an image of a member of the team, even Alex, who'd made an effort to keep his face hidden.

"If I may, I think I have a plan that will help Korra's idea," Alex said.

"What do you suggest?" Iroh asked as they turned back to the map.

"We divide into three teams. Team one consists of the General, June, and Bolin. You three head to the airbase and knock out those biplanes. Team two is Korra and Mako, you two track down Amon and take him out by any means necessary. We cut the head off the snake, the body will die. Team three will be Asami, Aki, and myself. We will create a distraction so large that the bulk of the Equalists will come down on us, maybe even Tannan himself," Alex said.

"How do you plan on getting the attention of the Equalists?" Akiko asked.

"There is a station set up for transporting captured benders to Air Temple Island for Equalization here," Alex replied, pointing to a section of the map, "We get in, steal a truck or two, and then lead them on a chase all over the city."

"That's a very risky move," Iroh commented.

"It's the perfect distraction. Amon will have no choice but to divert all available forces into stopping a truck full of benders, leaving a hole for Korra and Mako to slip in and take him down," Alex said.

"I like it. My gut tells me it's time to face Amon, and Alex's plan is the best way of seeing that happen," Korra said. Iroh placed his hand on his chin in thought.

"Hmm...my grandfather would respect the Avatar's instinct. So will I, we follow his plan," he said.

"Um guys, there's still this little problem," Bolin said, pointing at the posters, "If everyone's looking for you, they'll see you guys coming a mile away."

"You let me worry about that, just focus on your job, Bolin," Alex said. Bolin nodded.

"I know. It's just, I've never been wanted before, ya know? Never been an outlaw." Alex placed a reassuring hand on the earthbender's shoulder.

"If it helps, there's a few lines in a song that I always think of when I'm getting into something stupid. It was Kelly's favorite," he said.

"Yeah?" Alex removed his hand from Bolin's shoulder and took a few steps back while pulling out his phone. Tapping on the screen a few times, a song began to play.

 _'So all hail the underdogs.'_

 _'All hail the new kids'_

 _'All hail the outlaws.'_

 _'Spielbergs and Kubricks.'_

 _'It's our time to make a move.'_

 _'It's our time to make amends.'_

 _'It's our time to break the rules.'_

Alex looked at all of them, all the friends he'd made since arriving in this strange and crazy world. Raising his free hand, he watched as arcs of lightning danced over his skin, and for the first time in a long time, he smiled.

 _'Let's begin...'_

 **And cut. It's hard to believe, but the next chapter will be the last in Chain Lightning. As I've said before, Alex's story will not be ending with the end of this story, in fact it's only just begun.**

 **On a side note, a big thanks to my friend Avatar Conner for letting me use his OC Akiko. Conner, I hope I did Aki justice.**

 **But other then that, be sure to read, review, or even PM and let me know what you liked/didn't like about this chapter and I'll see you all in the next one!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Hey guys, I'm here with the finale! Chapter 20, and we finally broke a hundred reviews! Wow, just wow. But you don't wanna read my ramblings, you wanna see some action. So let's get down to it:**

Alex, Asami, and Akiko all crouched in the shadows, watching as the Equalists went about their morning activities. The heiress was holding the lightning rifle, while the airwoman held her autocross and the former vigilante his staff. Atop Alex's head sat the patrol cap he had recovered from the harbor. Both of his companions had questioned the point behind him wearing it, as the olive drab color stood out more compared to the brown leather of his jacket. But, he'd made it clear that he liked the hat, and he simply didn't care.

"That one will be our best bet," Asami said, pointing to a truck that was being backed into a loading dock. It was a military style truck, with the bed being covered with canvas. Alex watched the comings and goings of the Equalist foot soldiers with a keen eye, his fingers curled next to his lips as he analyzed the situation.

"Asami you take the driver, Aki and I will take the ones at the rear," he said. The two young women nodded at their rolls before they began to creep forward. Asami slipped up onto the running board next to the driver's door. Before the driver could react, the heiress had thrown the door open and grabbed him by the throat with her electrified glove. She zapped him before throwing his limp body out of the cab.

Aki and Alex walked to the rear of the truck, where a pair of foot soldiers were opening the rear gate. Alex placed his hands on both of their shoulders before giving off a decent sized shock, knocking both of them out. With that, Alex dropped the gate, revealing that the back was filled with several terrified looking men and women.

"We're here to help," he said before he grabbed the side of the truck and pulled himself up onto the roof. Aki watched him go before she stepped into the back with the people. Standing on the roof of the cab, Alex drew his staff before taking a deep breath. There was no turning back after this.

Tapping the staff onto the cab, he was rewarded with the roar of the engine coming to life. Several nearby foot soldiers turned their heads toward the noise, curious to see what was going on. Alex brought his fingers to his lips and let off a high pitched whistle, getting the attention of just about everyone around.

"Amon's a little bitch!" he shouted, just as Asami threw the truck into gear. The vehicle rocketed forward, slamming through the gate. Keeping his balance by bending his knees, Alex watched as several foot soldiers raced to the other trucks or motorcycles. Hopping down from the roof, he let himself dangle from the driver's side door with his feet on the running board and his free hand hanging from the mirror.

"We got a lot of company headed our way," he said.

"I thought you lived for danger," Asami said with a smirk. He glared in response, but otherwise kept his mouth shut tight. Swinging his staff with his free hand, Alex clothes lined an Equalist riding a motorcycle.

"Can't help but wonder if any of the others got an easier deal then we did," he muttered.

 _Air Temple Island._

Korra and Mako walked toward the spire of the Temple, their Equalist uniforms disguising them from the foot soldiers around them. Their plan was to use the disguises to get close to Amon, and then strike when the masked leader's guard was down. So far, the infiltration part of the plan was working. All that was left was to locate the man himself.

"What are you two doing here?" came a voice from behind them. The pair turned and found themselves face to face with the Lieutenant.

"We were just transferred to Amon's security detail," Mako replied.

"Amon is in the tower. I suggest you get to your posts, double time," the Lieutenant said, gesturing toward the Temple.

"Yes, sir," Korra said as she and Mako quickly bowed before hurrying toward the tower. Korra quickly took the lead, having spent more time here. It didn't take long for them to locate the room that Amon had set up as his personal quarters. It was surprisingly humble for the living space of what was now the most powerful man in the city. A bed sat in the corner with a radio on the nightstand, a single window, a cupboard for clothing, and a few maps along with some papers were scattered on a desk.

With a simple nod to each other, the pair split up with Mako hiding in the cupboard while Korra hid under the bed. She slid the gas mask off, wanting to be able to see and breathe at her full capacity when the time came. It didn't take long before the sound of the door sliding open and then closed again reached her ears, followed closely by heavy footsteps.

A pair of boots entered her vision as her target crossed the room and looked out the window. She took slow breathes in through her nose, careful not to make a single sound. A bead of sweat ran down her temple as she prepared to unleash a blast of fire. But just as she felt the power of her chi begin to pool in her hands to make the fire, the sound of the door opening and closing again made her freeze. The boots turned in a one eighty as Amon turned to face whomever had entered.

"Doctor? I don't recall giving you permission to enter my quarters," came Amon's grave voice. Being this close sent shivers down Korra's spine. For a moment, the only sound in the room was boots on the floor boards as Tannan crossed the room.

"It's time to end this madness," he said. Suddenly there were the sounds of a struggle, and a man gasping. Korra watched as Amon's legs went rigid, followed a second later by the Equalist leader's body hitting the floor. All the color had been drained from his already pale face. His eyes, wide open and lifeless, were fixed directly on the hidden Avatar. Despite his claim to having been burned by a firebender, there was not a single burn scar to be found. A moment later, his mask hit the floor. It landed faced up, now abandoned.

Tannan took a few deep breathes before he started to chuckle. Korra held her breath, and would have stopped her heart from beating if she could. She was sure it was beating so loud a deaf person could hear it.

"So that's how you did it. I must say, bravo. This will be an excellent addition to my collection," the Doctor said to the corpse. With that he turned and began to walk back to the door. Just before he reached it, he came to a halt again. He gave a small snort, as if he'd just noticed some small joke written on the wall.

"Hello, Avatar Korra." Korra's eyes went wide and her blood ran cold. He knew she was there. Before she could react, she suddenly found herself in the painful grip of bloodbending. She was forcefully dragged out from under the bed and held aloft. At the same time, the cupboard flew open as Mako was dragged out as well. Both of them were suspended in mid air, with Tannan standing at the far end of the room with a single hand raised.

"Nifty trick, isn't it? Using bloodbending to take another person's bending away, I'm surprised I didn't see it earlier," Tannan said.

"Tannan? What? How?"

"Isn't it obvious? I've drained not one, but two of the most powerful bloodbenders in history. And not only that, I have the ability to take away a person's bending," he said.

"Why?"

"I'm going to achieve what mankind has spent thousands of years striving for; godhood."

"You're crazy," Mako managed to get out, his voice strained with pain. Tannan ignored him as he took a few paces forward, his eyes set hungrily on Korra.

"It was Amon's idea to introduce me to the city as the 'true' Avatar. But now that you're finally in my grasp, I can easily make that a reality," he said, his hand stretching out to touch her cheek. Korra fought back against the hold on her, turning her head away to the best of her ability. Just before he touched her, he stopped, his fingers less then an inch away from her.

"No, no not yet. I have something special in mind for you," he said, pulling his hand back.

"What are you doing?" Korra asked, now both terrified and confused.

"We have a mutual acquaintance, Avatar. Alex Chambers has been a thorn in my side for far too long. I thought that the death of his little girlfriend would break him, but now, I see that I targeted the wrong woman," he replied. Korra felt her skin crawl as his eyes ran over her.

"The Masters girl had no meat on her bones, but you and Asami Sato? Well endowed in both body and mind. I'm going to take both of you nice and slow, and I'm going to make him watch for all the trouble he's caused me. And after I've had my fill of you two physically, I'm going to drain your bodies of every last drop of energy," he said. Out of the corner of her eye, Korra saw Mako fighting back against the bloodbending, his arm slowly raising from his side with his index and middle fingers held at the ready.

"You're a monster," Korra spat in an effort to keep the madman's eyes on her. Tannan smirked as if she had just complemented his hairstyle.

"Yes, so I've been told." Suddenly, a bolt of lightning erupted from Mako's fingertips, smashing into Tannan's chest. The false Avatar's eyes were wide with shock as the torrent of electricity stuck him and forced him backwards. He slammed into the wall before Mako released the flow, sending him crashing down on the bed, crushing the piece of furniture into two.

Instantly both of them felt themselves released from the bloodbending grip. Korra quickly motioned for her companion to follow before she dove out the window. Mako followed close behind, both of them eager to put some distance between themselves and the madman.

"I don't suppose we want to discuss what just happened?" Mako asked as they ran.

"You mean besides the chi vampire that wants to rape and murder both myself and Asami?" Korra asked.

"No. I just wanted to be sure we were on the same page in that regard," he replied. Suddenly Mako was yanked backwards at full force. The firebender yelled out in surprise as he flew across the courtyard, back in the direction they came from. Surprise turned to pain as a metal blade erupted from his right shoulder. After a moment, Tannan removed the blade and tossed him a short distance away. The look in his eyes was pure anger as the blood soaked blade retreated back into the armor hidden beneath his cloak.

"You're lucky I've already got firebending in my collection, boy," he spat in Mako's direction. Korra raised her fists, prepared to fight against this madman.

 _Pheow!_

An explosion suddenly rocked the area where Tannan was standing. The madman himself was thrown several yards, landing in a smoldering heap. A flame orange light was rapidly fading out of existence around the spot where he had been standing, and the smell of ozone filled the air. Korra followed the fading light back to it's source.

Walking across the Yin and Yang symbol in the yard was a young woman about her height. She had pale skin, short black hair, dark storm gray eyes, and a black leather trench coat. The Avatar couldn't help but blink in surprise and confusion at this newcomer. As Tannan began to get back up, the young woman came to a halt, the same light swirling and glowing around her hands.

"Stay down when you're beat, dumbass," she said as she raised her hand and pointed her finger at Tannan. The noise fulled the air again as a beam of the light shot out from her finger, covering the distance between herself and the target faster then the blink of an eye. Tannan was engulfed in another explosion, sending the Doctor skipping across the ground like a stone on water. The new comer repeated the process again, only this time he went over the edge of a cliff and into the bay.

Korra looked back and forth between the woman and the cliff, her mouth agape. The woman closed the distance between the two of them and gently pushed her jaw up, closing her mouth.

"Catching flies isn't a good look for you, sweetheart," she said.

"I, um, I, thanks?" Korra managed to get out. The woman smiled, and once again Korra found herself dumbstruck.

"No problem. I couldn't let a pretty thing like you get all ruffed up by an asshat like that," came the reply. Korra felt her cheeks gain a tint of crimson. She decided to change the topic before things got too out of hand.

"You're a Charged, right?" she asked, remembering what Alex had referred to himself, Kelly and Tannan as. The woman cocked her eyebrow in confusion.

"Charged?"

"Yeah, that's what Alex called it anyway. Something to do with charged up DNA or something."

"Wait, Alex? As in Alex Chambers?" Now it was Korra's turn to look confused.

"You know him?"

"No shit I know him. My name is Lucy. I'm Alex's older sister." Korra's eyes went wide with surprise, but she also hunted for any hint of relation between the two. Physically they didn't resemble each other in the slightest. The only thing they shared were the dark gray storm colored eyes.

"Oh, I'm Korra. I'm a friend of your brother's," she said, holding out her hand to shake. Lucy simply folded her arms and cocked her head to the side as she looked her up and down.

"You his girlfriend?"

"Um, no, no I'm not," Korra said, her cheeks regaining some color as she thought over the embarrassing moments that had been shared between herself and Alex in that particular department.

"Hm, surprising. You're definitely his type of girl. He'd better move quick, before I get my claws into you," Lucy said with a small grin.

"Wait, what?"

"Enough flirting for now. I have a message I need you to deliver to my brother the next time you see him," she said before she stepped close and slipped a small metal device into her hands. She lingered there for a bit, taking a moment to feel the Avatar's hand against hers After a moment, Korra pulled back and looked at the other girl unbelievably.

"Is that it?"

"Yep, pretty much, now if I were you, I'd see to you little friend's wound before he bleeds out."

 _Downtown Republic City._

"I HAVE HAD IT UP TO HERE WITH YOU BENDING HATING DOUCHEBAGS!" Akiko shouted as she unloaded her autocross at the pursuing motorcycles. When her weapon ran out of ammo, she switched to shooting bolts of fire at them. Alex had climbed back onto the roof of the truck and was shooting bolts of lighting from his staff.

A Satomobile swerved around a corner and began to race after them, easily gaining distance on the truck. It was a convertible racer model, only its top was up. As it pulled along side, Alex slid his staff back into it's harness before he jumped. He smashed through the rag top of the convertible, landing in the back seat between two stunned Equalist foot soldiers.

"Hola Amigos! I came to drink sake and kick ass, and I'm all out of sake!" he shouted before driving both of his elbows into the faces of the man on either side of him. Leaning forward, he stuck his head between the seats, focusing his attention on the man in the passenger seat.

"Have you seen Taun?" The man responded by slamming Alex's head into the radio. Although he saw stars, the former courier blinked and went on the offensive.

"Fine! Dick shot!" With that, he slammed his fist down, punching the driver square in the private parts. Twisting his body around so that he was basicly lying over the center console on his back, Alex drove his elbow into the passenger's face, while at the same time kicking one of the men who had recovered in the back seat in the throat.

Running out of options, he kicked both men in the back seat, delivering a strong voltage while he was at it. The car filled with a loud clap sound as the discharge went off, knocking both men out cold. Sitting up, he plowed both of his feet into the man behind the driver. The Equalist was launched through the car door and sent sprawling over the street.

Grabbing the door frame, Alex launched himself face first at the truck. His hands caught the handle on the passenger door, and he clung to it for dear life as his feet scrapped against the pavement. Releasing a blast of static electricity, Alex managed to launch himself high enough so that his boots landed on the running board.

Looking back at the Satomobile, he fired a bolt of lightning at the driver. Instantly the car veered off as the driver was knocked out. Standing, Alex looked through the window at Asami and grinned.

"We're not doing so bad, eh?"

"Oh really? Then what's your plan for dealing with that?" she asked, pointing straight ahead. A road block lay on the road, watched over by a single mecha tank.

"Drive straight," Alex replied. Asami looked at him like he was crazy, but she shifted gears and floored it anyway. The engine roared as the truck rocketed forward, and Alex bent his knees and held on.

"Everyone duck!" Asami pressed herself flat against the seat of the truck as the mecha tank swung its arm around. The cab was crumpled, and then ripped off completed as the truck barreled past the machine. Despite being covered in glass from the shattered windshield, the heiress sat up and shifted gears as if nothing had ever happened.

Alex pulled himself up from the side of the door and climbed onto the hood. He stood with his knees bent in an effort to keep his balance as he looked down the street before them. The way looked clear ahead of them, which had him concerned. Were the Equalist's backing off? Too late did the hiss of cables being released from their housing reach his ears.

The former courier suddenly found himself pinned to the hood of the truck, with Tannan standing over him, his foot pressed firmly into his throat. Alex raised his staff, trying to strike the man, but Tannan held his hand up as if to catch the weapon. The staff gave off an ear piercing screech as it was twisted and deformed before being yanked from it's wielder's grasp and tossed into the street.

"All this effort, just to get my attention? Mr. Chambers, you are an overachiever," Tannan said. Alex tried to form a response, but the boot on his windpipe kept him from speaking. He brought his hands up and tried to shove the man off, but the strength was too much. Black spots began to swim in his vision as he threatened to black out from the lack of oxygen.

"I'm so close to achieving godhood, do you really think I'll let a little bug zapper like you stand in my way now? I have the power of dozens of benders at my command, not to mention the powers of your little friend, and the secrets of Amon himself. What do you have?" Tannan asked.

"Actual back up," Alex managed to croak out. Tannan's eyes narrowed, and sensing another pair of eyes on him he turned, just in time to see Asami level the lightning rifle across the dash of the truck. The heiress squeezed the trigger, and a bolt of lighting sailed from the three claws on the barrel right into Tannan's face.

The doctor was launched backwards from the force of the blast, knocking him off the truck and under the tires. The truck bounced twice as both sets of tires ran the man over. Asami quickly slammed on the breaks, bringing the truck to a screeching halt. She stood with the lightning rifle as she looked down with concern at her boyfriend.

Alex was sprawled out over the hood of the truck, struggling to catch his breath. But after a moment, he sat up, his hand rubbing his throat. From the back of the truck appeared Akiko, her autocross in her hands once again.

"Hey, why the hell are we stopped? Those Equalists could be back at any..." she suddenly trailed off into a scream as a cable rapped around her midsection and yanked her skyward. The autocross landed in the seat next to Asami, leaving the firebending gear head weaponless. Asami raised the lightning rifle, aiming it upward. Hanging from the wall of a building several stories up was Tannan, and he had one of his cables wrapped around Akiko.

"Jesus Christ how tough is this asshole?" Alex asked, his voice raspy.

"It's time to end this Alex. To see which one of us is more powerful. You wanna save your friend? You come to Harmony Tower. Tonight. And we'll end this on equal terms," Tannan said before he rocketed upward over the edge of the building with firebending, taking Akiko with him. Alex watched him go for a moment before he rolled off the truck and landed in an ungraceful heap on the ground.

"Alex, are you okay?" Asami asked.

"My throat just got curb stomped by an insane demigod, who also ran off with one of my friends. Do I look okay?" he asked as he pulled himself to his feet.

"Well what are you gonna do?"

"I'm gonna get my ability to speak in a normal voice back, and then I'm going to Harmony Tower."

"Alex, you can't do that," Asami said.

"And why not?"

"He curb stomped you, for starters.

"He took me by surprise," he argued.

"He will kill you," she argued back. Alex looked up at her with both guilt and determination in his eyes.

"I promised Jason that I would look after her for him. And it's a promise I intend to keep," he said.

 _Harmony Tower. Evening._

Lightning flickered through the storm clouds as Alex stepped off of the elevator and onto the viewing platform. His eyes scanned the shadows around him, searching for any kind of trap or ambush. When his sight failed to yield anything, he closed his eyes and breathed through his noise. There it was, a heartbeat, belonging to a person crouched in the shadows about twenty feet overhead.

"You playing Batman now?" he asked without turning to face him. The presence moved, glided almost.

"No. I think a more appropriate analogy would be Doctor Octavos, or Spider-Man," Tannan replied as he used his cables to maneuver himself into a position so that he was in front of Alex and looking down on him.

"I met Spider-Man. Trust me, you ain't him."

"Perhaps. But enough of that, we both know why you're here."

"Where is Akiko?"

"Oh she's fine," Tannan said as he gestured to the far end of the observation deck. Akiko was suspended by a rope tied to her feet while she dangled over the railing so that when she looked up, she was staring at the street several hundred feet below.

"There may be a little blood rushing to her head, but she is fine."

"Tannan, let her go, it's me you want," Alex said.

"Mm, true, true. And I was going to do this quickly. But you, you just had to go and piss me off, didn't you?"

"Feeling's mutual, jackass." Tannan tisked at that.

"Always with the language. Perhaps one of your little girlfriends will need to sort you out," he said.

"I'm not the one who's dangling a teenager by her ankles over the side of a landmark," Alex shot back.

"Perhaps. But you know how the saying goes. You either die the hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain. I intend to die the hero, Alex."

"In order to die a hero, you first gotta be one first," Alex responded before he quickly hit Tannan with a bolt of electricity. The doctor's abilities shorted out, causing him to fall from his perch and land on the observation platform.

"You little shit," Tannan snarled. Thunder rumbled through the sky and lightning danced between clouds. Rain drops began to fall, a few at first, and then a downpour.

"Come on, ya lazy fuck, quiet monologue and fucking fight me!" Alex snapped. Inwardly, he was screaming curses at the sky. The rain meant he wouldn't be able to fight at his full potential, that he'd be weakened and not able to use his full strength. Tannan pushed himself up onto his feet and cracked his neck.

"As you wish." With that, he sprang forward, plowing his fist into Alex's face. Alex was launched backwards from the force of the blow, his body slamming into the doors of the elevator. His vision swam as the air was forced from his lungs. Alex released two blasts of electricity, weakening Tannan before he jumped forward and stuck him with his own fists.

Tannan took the blows before he threw his arm up, catching Alex's incoming right hook. With his free hand, he struck Alex in the chest with his palm. The teen was launched backwards again before landing and skidding a short distance along the observation deck. Raising his hands in an upward sweeping motion, the Doctor bent standing water from the deck, turning them into razor sharp sheets of ice and launching them at the teen.

Alex kicked his feet, launching himself into the air. He landed in a crouch before rolling and dodging the sheets. Placing his palms flat down, he released a charge of electricity. The water and metal of the deck conducted the current, transporting it straight back to the Doctor. Tannan let out a scream as his body seized up and he fell to one knee.

Alex jumped forward, intending to pummel Tannan, but the madman reacted first. He drove his fist upward in an uppercut, catching Alex in the jaw and launching him backwards again. The former courier was launched backwards again, landing on his back before his momentum carried onto his stomach.

"Pathetic. I expected more of a fight out of the Electric Vigilante," Tannan said. Alex coughed and spat blood as he started to push himself up. He managed to get to his feet and raised his fists again. Tannan stalked forward, grabbed Alex by the front of the jacket, and threw him down the deck toward Akiko. Alex landed in a heap, skidding to a halt next to the railing.

Groaning, Alex grabbed the rail and began to pull himself up. Looking up, his eye caught Aki's. The only thing was, she wasn't watching him or the madman advancing on them. She was looking down. Puzzled, he followed her line of sight, and smiled when he saw what she saw. Standing up fully, he turned and faced Tannan again.

"You just don't know when to stay down, do you?" Tannan growled. Alex slipped over the railing and gave the Doctor a smirk before he let go and fell backwards over the side. The Doctor blinked in shock before he growled in anger. He had been so close, and then the kid had wasted himself by throwing himself off the top of the tower. Stalking forward, his eyes focused on Akiko. If he couldn't have Alex, he'd take his anger out of her.

Then, much to his surprise, Alex appeared over the railing with his arms folded and his smirk still present on his face. At first, it looked as if he was floating, but as he continued to rise, it became clear he was standing on the hull of a police airship.

"Back to the Future, bitch!" Alex shouted. Korra appeared in a hatchway, leveling the lightning rifle and firing it at Tannan. The bolt struck the scientist in the chest, launching him backwards and sprawling him out on the deck. Wasting no time, Alex fired a bolt of electricity into the rope holding up Aki, incinerating it and catching the gear head before she landed on the hull.

"You alright?" he asked, setting her down.

"Peachy," came the reply. Korra suddenly let out a scream as she was yanked from airship. She flew across the gap, straight into Tannan's outstretched hand. The look on his face was one of triumph as the color began to drain from Korra's face.

"NO!" Alex jumped from the airship, smashing into the two and separating them. In an instant, he was on top of Tannan, pinning the man to the deck and slamming his fists into the man's face. Tannan managed to get his leg up, planting his foot into Alex's chest and shoving the teen off of him. Once he was free, he fired his cables into the air, attaching himself to the top spire of the tower and rocketing well out of reach. Turning, Tannan began to throw blasts of fire, causing Alex and Korra to duck and dodge.

"Take him down!" he shouted. Korra stood and threw her fists, but her eyes grew wide when nothing happened.

"I can't bend!" she replied.

"Of course you can't! I have your bending now!" Tannan shouted before firing another blast. Korra was knocked backwards off her feet. Steam rose from her form, showing how singed she had been. Alex looked around desperately for a new angle. Tannan was now blatantly throwing fire now, not caring who or what he hit.

Then, a bolt of lightning streaked through the storm clouds behind the madman, outlining him in a bluish white light. And suddenly, Alex had an idea.

Standing to his full height, he raised his hands and concentrated as hard as he could. He could feel the electricity in the air, the different charges banging against each other, the power rapidly building up.

"Please don't make me look like a fool," he muttered to himself before he swung his arms to the side. A bolt of lightning shot down from the clouds, striking the spire that Tannan was hanging from. The Doctor cried out as the voltage surged through him. His control over the cables vanished and he fell to the observation deck.

Sparks and bits of molten medal filled the air as the bolt faded from existence. A crack of thunder filled the air, so loud and close that it was deafening. Over the thunder came the screech of metal being torn from metal as the spire toppled from it's perch and fell to the streets far below. Alex fell to his knees, exhaustion overcoming him.

Fire burned around him, casting an eerie orange glow in the pouring rain. Looking up, he saw Tannan slowly push himself to his feet, and he felt his heart sink. He'd thrown everything he had at the madman, and it didn't seem to be enough. But as he approached him, Alex got a good look at him in the light of the fire.

Tannan's cloak was little more then a smoldering rag, and fresh angry red burns dominated his face and down his neck. He was also walking with a severe limp, and his left arm hung lazily at his side. The bolt may not have killed him, but it had done a severe number on him.

"You know kid, I'm impressed," Tannan said before he drove right fist into Alex's face, sprawling the teen out onto his back, "You can control lightning now." Alex didn't answer. He was too tired, too weak, and too much in pain to respond.

"It's your fault, you know. You're the reason we're here. It was your idea for me to experiment on that battery. You're the reason I'm this..this..freak!" Tannan roared. He bent down and picked Alex up by the throat, holding him aloft. He gasped for air, and struggled to remain awake.

"It's funny, I thought that in the end, the son of an Army Ranger would put up more of a fight," he said. Alex began to feel even more tired, like what was left of his energy was slipping away. His vision became fuzzy, and he realized that Tannan was draining him. His hand, unnoticed by Tannan, slipped toward his waist.

"Not. Done. Yet," he choked out. Suddenly, an autocross appeared in his hand and he squeezed the trigger three times. The air rushed out of Tannan's lungs as he dropped the teen and stumbled backwards before collapsing onto his back. Three crossbow bolts were now perfectly visible in his chest.

Alex dropped the autocross onto the deck before he straddled Tannan again. He drove his fist into the man's face again and again, but after a moment stopped as he was too tired to carry on. He needed to recharge before he collapsed. Looking around, he sensed no electricity anywhere. The bolt of lightning had overloaded all the power lines, leaving the tower in a blackout. Only one spot had electricity left.

The natural electric signals that made up Tannan's brainwaves and nervous system.

The Doctor must have sensed what he intended to do, as he caught Alex by the wrist and struggled to keep his hand at bay. Alex fought back, pushing harder and harder against him. The two struggled, with Alex's finger tips inching closer to Tannan's forehead.

"No, no not like this!" Tannan begged. The hunter had become the hunted, and he knew it.

"As if you gave Kelly a choice," Alex snarled before pressing his fingertips into Tannan's forehead. The Doctor's body went rigid before he began to buck wildly like he was having a seizure. Then, his eyes rolled back into his head, and his body went limp. Panting, Alex fell off the body of the Doctor and let the rain pour down on top of him.

It was over. It was finally, really over.

The last thing he saw before sleep overcame him was Korra's concerned blue eyes appearing in his view.

 _Air Temple Island._

 _"_ _We're still trying to fully understand what took place at Harmony Tower. While an investigation is currently underway regarding the incident that left the top portion of the tower severed, one thing is clear; the man known as Avatar Taun, and the renegade known as the Electric Vigilante are both dead."_ Alex's eyes slowly cracked open to the sound of Lin's voice over the radio. It took him a moment to realize that he was in his room back on Air Temple Island.

At the foot of the bed sat Korra. She looked exhausted, like she hadn't slept in a very long time. What's more, she had her hair down, something that Alex had never seen before. Personally, he thought that this look suited her more then the pony tails she was always wearing.

"You're awake," she said, smiling at him.

"How long have I been out?" he asked.

"About twelve hours. The United Forces are finishing securing the city now. We won," she reported.

"How did you get an airship?" he asked, remembering how she had gotten to the tower.

"Asami told us what you were doing when we regrouped. June, um, borrowed it from the police."

"Where is everyone?"

"They're in the dining area. I wanted to talk to you alone when you woke up," she said. Alex sat himself up, groaning a little at how sore he felt.

"What's up?" he asked.

"I...I wanted to say thank you, for everything you've done. I know we don't get along all the time, but I want you to know that I am truly grateful."

"That's what friends do, Korra," he said, waving her off.

"There's more," she said. Alex looked curiously as she produced the small metal device she had been given. Alex took it and looked it over, realizing that it was a recorder. It was something from his world.

"Where did you get this?" he asked.

"Lucy gave it to me. She said to give it to you." Alex's eyes went wide at the name. He first instinct was to instantly bombard the Avatar with questions. But he quickly calmed himself before he pressed the play button.

 _"_ _Alex. It's me, Lucy. I know you have a ton of questions but I don't have a lot of time and I hope this finds its way too you."_ There was no mistaking it. That was the voice of his sister. She was here. Somehow, she was here.

 _"_ _There's a man. He was the project leader of the group that got me here. I don't know how but he got powers like I did, and I'm guessing like you did too. He's planning something. Something big. I need your help on this. Come and find me at the Rock. See you soon, little bro."_

Silence fell between them for the longest time as the recording stopped playing. It was Korra who spoke first.

"You're leaving, aren't you." It wasn't a question, and her voice sounded sad.

"She needs help," he replied as he slowly got up.

"I...I..." she fell silent as she hugged herself, tears threatening to fall from her eyes as she looked away. Alex studied the way she looked and instantly felt bad. He knew heartbreak when he saw it.

"The recording wasn't the only reason you wanted to talk, was it?"

"When Tannan drained me, he took my bending. We're going back to the South Pole to see if Katara can fix it. I was hoping you'd be coming along," she said. That wasn't all she wanted to say, and he knew it. It hung in the air like a heavy presence.

"I know that's not all," he said, sounding a little more callous then intended. Korra closed her eyes and a single tear ran down her cheek.

"Alex, I love you. I know you're with Asami and I know how you feel about all that, but damnit I can't keep trying to deny I what I feel. And now you're gonna go off on some wild adventure, spirits knowing if you'll ever come back." She fell silent as Alex placed a single finger on her lips. He gave her a small smile, and then a kiss on the forehead.

"I'm coming back, Korra," he promised, "and when I do, we'll figure all this out."

 _Central City Station._

"Alex, please don't go," Asami begged. Steam whipped around them as the train prepared to leave. They were standing on the platform, as Alex was preparing to get on the train. Alex felt like his heart was being ripped out of his chest. The last thing he wanted to do was leave her behind. But he had to go, he had to find Lucy, he had to find answers.

"Asami, it's not too late, you can still come with me," he offered.

"The board has all but abandoned ship now that the Equalists have been brought down. I'm all that's left to keep Future Industries afloat, I can't just abandon my family legacy," she said bitterly. Alex felt his heart sink even further at that. A small part of him felt betrayed, like that she was choosing a failing company over him. But the rest of him understood why she was doing it. It was all she had left in the world.

"I...I have to go Asami," he said.

"Why? Why you?! Haven't you done enough?!"

"It's my sister, I have to go. I can't be the only one left, I can't be," he said. And then, in that moment, Asami saw it in his eyes. The fear. Cold, directionless fear that he was the last Charged. The last of someone being like him. After a moment, Alex sighed and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Listen, I don't know how long this is gonna take. But I want you to promise me that if anything goes wrong, anything you can't handle, you send me a message alright? Do that and I'll be back here to help you with whatever is wrong," he said. Asami threw her arms around his neck and buried her face in his chest, her eyes squeezed closed in an effort to hold back the tears.

"Alexander Chambers, I love you. You come back to me, you hear? You come back," she said. Alex tilted her head up and kissed her, soft yet firm.

"I will, I promise." With that, the train whistle echoed throughout the station, and the two lovers reluctantly parted. Alex boarded the train and took a seat next to the window. He took off the patrol cap as he leaned his head against the window, looking out somberly at Asami as she stood on the platform. The heiress looked the saddest he'd ever seen her, and it tore at his heart.

With a bump, the train began to creep forward. But Alex kept watching Asami, until the train had moved so much that he could see her no more. Sitting back into his seat, he pulled out his headphones. It was a long way to the Earth Kingdom, and he wasn't in the mood to listen to anything other then the sound of his music. Tapping the play button, he leaned his head back against the seat and looked at the landscape rolling by outside.

 _'I'll find you, so far away.'_

 _'I'll find you, after all.'_

 _'I'll find you, so far away.'_

 _'I'll find you, after all.'_

For the first time, Alex was truly on his own. And if the future had seemed uncertain when he had first arrived in Republic City, it was truly unpredictable now.

 _'I feel like waking up.'_

 _'I've had this dream before.'_

 _'I'll take these Footsteps, go higher, go higher.'_

 _'I've walked an empty mile.'_

 _'Wore down this lonely soul.'_

 _'I'll take these Footsteps, go higher, go higher.'_

'Come find me at the Rock' the message had said. Alex sighed and closed his eyes for a moment before he looked out at the passing mountains again. Lucy was taunting him, like she use to do when they were kids. Only this time it was on a world wide scale. There could only be so many placed with the word rock in it's name, hopefully he would get lucky. As a large peak passed, Alex had only one thought enter his mind.

 _'I'll find you, big sis. Count on it.'_

 **And cut! That's a wrap people. When I first started this story a year ago, I had no idea what it would become. Of course I couldn't do it without my friend Avatar Conner, who time and again listened while I bounced ideas off of him.**

 **Now, as I've said before, this is not the end of Alex's story. In fact it's just the gateway to a much larger, wider world. Myself and some other authors here on FF have been working together to create an interlinked universe with our stories. Think of it like a marvel or DC universe, but for fanfiction.**

 **But other then that, once again thank you all for your support. Drop a review, leave a PM, state what you liked, didn't like, and make a prediction for what happens to Alex next, and I'll see you all in the next one.**

 **Long Days and Pleasent Nights to you all.**

 **-Jack.**


	21. Sequels and Such

**Hey guys, Jack here with an update for all you Chain Lightning fans. The sequel, Rolling Thunder, has been posted and can be found under the Legend of Korra tab or on my profile page. As I've mentioned before, there are some stand alone crossovers that will be published as well, the first of which being Beyond the Mirrors Edge, a team up between Avatar Conner and myself which features another interaction between Alex and Jason Oru.**

 **Now you don't have to read the crossovers in order to understand the plot of Rolling Thunder at all, but it they are set during Alex's six month journey between the two main installments, so if you want to know what he was doing during that time then by all means please go read. Again, reading them is not required to understand the plot of the sequel, but it will give you guys some of a leg up.**

 **But other then that, Happy New Year, and I'll see y'all in the next one!**


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